Turning Traitor
by WTFIsSheOn
Summary: Dennis regrets his part in unleashing the Beast and survives Raven Hill, getting the chance to try and set things right. As the former face of the Horde he strives to redeem himself, while Barry just wants some semblance of a normal life again. Casey stands in the middle, refusing to abandon her new friend Kevin, much to Barry's delight and Dennis's chagrin.
1. Sitra Ahra

**Day 3 at Raven Hill**

Dennis didn't like holding the light anymore, but he didn't have much of a choice. That irritating woman, Dr. Staple, she kept poking and prodding at Kevin like he was some sort of sick animal, and Dennis didn't want anyone else to have to endure her invasive questioning. Besides, most of it had to do with Kevin's mother, and not one of the other alters knew Mrs. Crumb like Dennis did. Even in death she haunted him, and he didn't want the others to be subject to that pain, regardless if they were Horde or not.

It didn't help matters that he was always exhausted. Between the uncomfortable bed and the therapy sessions, he was finding it hard to sleep. If he managed to finally settle down on the rock hard mattress and paper thin sheets, he was tormented by nightmares. Nightmares about Kevin's mother were something he was used to, but now the hag was joined by the vengeful ghosts of multiple teenagers, trying to drag him down to hell. They brought with them images of the night he first allowed the Beast to come through; it was seared into his brain and he couldn't stop reliving it all.

_He was the first to awaken after the Beast was finished feasting. Every part of his body was screaming, yelling at him for letting something so unnatural take control- twist them, use them. _

_ Grimacing, he slowly got to his feet, and was only tangentially aware of the gunshot wound that was slowly closing up on his chest. Only three things were immediately on his mind when he arrived in the light, and miraculously surviving a bullet at close range was not one of them. _

_ The first thing that occurred to him was that he felt like shit. The second thing? It smelled horrible in their apartment. Piss, sweat, and the tang of blood assaulted his senses, and it took him a second to get his bearings. Dennis was no stranger to the scents of a violated body, but it had been a long, long time, and the memories that they brought crashing through into his reality was almost enough to make him lose the light. _ _The third thing Dennis was aware of was the horrible lurching in his stomach, and he only had a few seconds to rush towards a wastebasket before he vomited. Things that should never have been in a human stomach came rushing back up through his mouth, catching on his teeth, coating his tongue. Gagging, he spit out what he briefly hoped was a piece of last night's turkey, but he knew that was a foolish thought._

_ After his stomach settled down, he slowly walked the length of his modest quarters, seeing if he could piece together what had happened while the newest alter had control. He gingerly pushed open a door to his living room, and his throat knotted up the second he saw her lying on the ground. Down on the floor was the only woman that had shown an ounce of love for Kevin in decades, and she lay broken at Dennis's feet. _ _Grief ripped through him, and he bent over to gently pick Dr. Fletcher up and lay her back down on the sofa. I'm so sorry, he thought. It wasn't supposed to be you; you shouldn't have been here._

_ "Coward!" Barry hissed inside of him. _

_ "Freak," snarled Jade . _

_ "You're just like ** ** her****," Norma spat, and Dennis recoiled at the thought of being anything resembling the Crumb matriarch. _

_ "No, you're all wrong," he growled, but his stomach was sinking regardless. The Beast had emerged and triumphed over the Unbroken, but the victory, if there was any, was pyrrhic. _

_ As he got closer to the rooms the girls were left in (not girls, "sacred food" he had to remind himself), the overwhelming stench of fear and pain met him. He reached the first door and pushed it open with his handkerchief, only to need to close it immediately after a quick glance, retching to the point of tears. But he had to see. He had to know what the Horde had done. _

_He looked, and he gasped. _ _Marcia lay split open, diminished. She was so ravaged that it was hard to tell she was once human, once sacred anything. Those stains would never come out of the carpet. A lot of things had been stained forever that night._

_"This is Patricia's grand revolution?" Barry snarled, so close to the light, so close to consciousness, that Dennis flinched in surprise. "Little girls ripped open by monsters? Blood on our hands? More suffering?"_

_ Dennis had no rejoinder, so he went with what he kept repeating to himself these past few weeks. "I'm doing this to protect Kevin!" he protested. "I'm doing this to protect all of the broken!" _

_ Barry laughed, and the sound was almost manic. "That girl looks pretty broken to me, you lunatic!" The laughter turned to sobs, and he backed away, unable to take seeing through Kevin's eyes any longer. "I can't believe you let that monster kill Dr. Fletcher," he whimpered, fading from consciousness into the dark where he no longer had to think or feel. _

Dennis had not spoken to any of the non-Horde alters since that night, although their disgust and rage were always present at the edge of his consciousness. Sometimes, when the nightmares jolted him from rest, he would hear them calling out to him. Barry, Samuel, Felida- all begging him to let them go, to make things right. Their cries echoed out when his OCD was at its worst, and at one point an orderly had found him dripping blood from torn knuckles, trying desperately to clean off the gore they told him was staining their hands.

They medicated Kevin afterwards, but Dennis would spit the pills out when they weren't looking. They probably knew, probably didn't give a shit. So long as the flashing lights were between them and him, they were safe and he could rot for all they cared.

No peace. No sleep. Not much was easy to come by in this place.

What Dennis did have was time, and plenty of it. Time for him to ruminate; obsess over the choices he made that had brought them to this point. True, he could point fingers at their Priestess, at Patricia, but that's not who he was. He was the first born, he was the protector. Patricia came to him with her knowledge of the Beast because she knew that only he had the will to do what needed to be done. But now that it was done, Dennis wanted nothing more than to undo it. He had damned every single one of them inside of Kevin, wide eyed and willingly. He was Judas, and he didn't even ask for one fucking piece of silver for his trouble. He never thought he needed to.

When he first started to hunt sacred food for the Beast, it made sense, in a warped sort of way. The Beast was a god made flesh, born through the broken and tormented body of Kevin Wendell Crumb. And every god demanded sacrifice. But each and every time Dennis arrived into the light after the Beast had fed, he found a little piece of himself was simply gone, diminished. Why was he serving something that only brought pain? Guardians did not inflict pain, they shielded against it. And all he ever wanted was for Kevin to someday be strong enough to take the light again.

_Dennis's voice was so low it could barely be heard, even in the silence. "He wanted to die." _

_ "What?" That meant nothing to Patricia. _

_ "Kevin." The fact that she either did not notice, or did not care about the original's feelings, made Dennis's temper flare. "Did you not hear him when Casey called him to the light? Did you not feel how much pain he was in? He asked her to kill us!" _

_ Dennis could practically hear the eye roll in Patricia's voice: "Dove, he always wants to die, that's why we are here in the light instead of him. He is not strong enough to realize the power that is now in his grasp. That is why he called us into existence to begin with. To make the choices he knew he could not." _

What a load of bullshit. Kevin never wanted any of this. Dennis never wanted it. So why did he do it?

The hours ticked by, and Dennis found his feverish mind would not give him any peace. Someone else needed to step in. He hated having to ask, but knew that Hedwig had been wanting the light for some time anyway. There wasn't much for the little boy to do in that small hospital room, but he did enjoy working on his drawings, and Dennis was happy to let him. He needed a break.

**Day 4 at Raven Hill**

"Hey freak. You've got company." A nurse stepped into their tiny room, breaking up the dreariness of the day, and motioned to some orderlies to bring in a few chairs.

The insult did not go unnoticed by Hedwig, who currently had the light, and he was caught between humiliation and anger. Eyes watering with tears, he tried to put on a tough expression. "What'd you call me, asshole? Try saying that to the Beast!"

The cruel eyed nurse looked like he was about to taunt the little boy further, but heard the echoing footsteps of Dr. Staple just outside the doorway and wisely chose to remain silent.

Hedwig had no time to feel sorry for himself as Casey Cooke stepped into his dismal hospital room, skyrocketing his emotions from crushed to elated. His joy was so palpable that every single alter inside Kevin stood up to take notice of their visitor, clamoring among themselves:

_ "Could it be?" _

_ "Damn, girl has some fucking ovaries on her." _

_ "What do you reckon she's here for?" _

Patricia, however, remained silent, intent on watching the interaction between Hedwig and Casey before she felt one way or another about it. The Beast had claimed her as one of their own, but that didn't mean she had to be excited to see her.

"No way!" Hedwig yelled gleefully. "You tried so hard to get away from us, and now you've come to see us? You're so weird," he teased, and Casey smiled bashfully in acknowledgement of the unusual situation.

"May I please speak to Dennis or Patrica?" Her request was gentle but firm, knowing that if she didn't get right to the point, her allotted time with Kevin would be spent listening to the young boy yammer on about superheroes and music.

The alters immediately fell silent, all eyes turning to the original members of the Horde. Dennis's mouth nearly dropped open. Casey? Asking for him? What the hell was going on? _"Oh that sweet, lost girl,"_ Barry intoned, sharing his disbelief. _"What could possibly have brought her back to her abductor?"_

Guilt gnawed at Dennis at the reminder, but he immediately hardened while stepping into the light. Casey was throwing everything into chaos, and he had to figure out what was going on, fast.

As soon as he gained control over their body, Dennis immediately sat up straight and crossed his arms, fixing Casey with an intense stare. "What are you doing here?" he demanded gruffly, and then realized he was coming off like more of an asshole then intended. He actually was happy to see her, much to his own surprise. She wasn't wearing ten million different layers of clothing, and the air about her was calm, like she had just woken up from a good night's rest. She just looked...different. "Your clothes are not dirty. Good." Dennis relaxed a bit and gave her the barest, but gentle, smile.

"Hello Dennis," she replied softly, and his name on her lips was like a kiss and a punch all at once. She also wasted no time with pleasantries. "A lot more people have died."

The earnestness as she said it, like he didn't know what had been happening, it bothered him. "Well…" he looked away, ashamed.

"You have to give up the light. The Horde has to give up control of the light," Casey continued. "Otherwise they're never going to let you out of here! You have to listen to this doctor!"

Dennis could hear Barry gasp softly in the darkness. _"Babygirl, why are you so worried about us?"_ the smaller man murmured.

Dennis had no idea how to respond to her plea. Why the hell did she care? Shouldn't she want them to stay locked up? He could not rationalize her actions, and instead did what he always did best when someone was making him feel lost and confused: he went on defense.

"The doc tells lies," he growled, trying to sound convincing, but as far as he was concerned, he shared Casey's fear. "The Beast is the highest form of human evolution!"

Casey wasn't convinced. "Did Patricia tell you to say that?"

The room was getting hotter, discomfort worming its way into Dennis's stomach. He tried again. "The Beast will show the world that the broken are more evolved, he will start a revolution-"

Before Dr. Staple could stop her, Casey was down in front of him, gently grasping his arm like a prayer, like she could make him understand by touch alone. "Dennis, you guys are gonna die in here."

Instinctively he drew back, but then immediately relaxed into her touch, drinking the affection in like a lifeline. "Casey…" he breathed, scarcely unable to comprehend that this girl that he had kidnapped and terrorized was on her knees begging him to help Kevin, help himself.

Suddenly he lurched, his eyes widening in surprise as he felt Kevin stir deep, deep inside. The original felt the shift, the spark of light in Dennis, so much so that it had awoken him. "OH SHI-" Dennis gasped, but before he knew it he was kicked back from the light, the lingering sensation of Casey gently grasping their hand the last thing he felt.

His mind was spinning. What had just happened? Kevin never came to the light willingly, why was he here now? Did Dennis somehow signal that it was safe to come out? But an answer would have to wait. He, along with the others, listened intently to Casey explain how she had found the strength to turn her uncle in for abusing her, how he had hurt her just like Kevin's mom had hurt them.

"We're the same?" Kevin offered breathlessly, like he could hardly believe he was making a connection with another human being. Casey nodded in agreement.

The System exploded with cheers and Dennis could feel the swell of their pleasure so intensely it hurt, but inside he felt like he was losing his mind. Not only was she not afraid of the Horde, but she had come to try to aide them, comfort them. Kindness like that wasn't real, was it?

He sensed Patricia come alongside him, and he could tell she was displeased before she even spoke. "That brazen child, she won't stop making a nuisance of herself! First the Beast spared her as sacred food, and now Kevin is taking the light willingly. If we're not careful, she could be the end of everything we've worked so hard for."

Dennis wasn't sure he agreed, and his thoughts were pulling him in ten thousand different directions. He needed time alone to think, but in an effort to placate Patricia he set his jaw and nodded at her imperceptibly. He didn't need her nagging him while he had all this new information to parse through. All he was 100% sure of right now was that his reality looked a hell of a lot different than it did this morning. He had to get away, to be somewhere quiet. The others were still celebrating the emergence of Kevin and the olive branch extended by Casey, so he was able to slip further back into the darkness without being noticed.

With a sigh, he sat in his chair and nervously rubbed his hands over his face. What the hell was he going to do? He knew that if he listened to Casey and betrayed the Horde, Barry would accept the help. He may not be happy about it, and definitely would not forgive Dennis, but he wouldn't turn away any offer of assistance. Dennis was easily the strongest out of all of them, if he added to their efforts of getting Kevin into the light for good, well, he didn't see failure being a possibility.

Of course, once the Beast was snuffed out and Patricia overthrown, Dennis knew he would be chained up in the darkness again. He was already in the doghouse with the others before the Horde attempted their revolution, he was fairly certain he was despised by them all at this point. He didn't care though. All he cared about, all he ever cared about, was taking care of Kevin. That often meant his own suffering, but trying to run from his pain is what got them into this mess in the first place. Tools do not complain when they are used. A nail does not cry when it is beaten and bent into place, it is there to strengthen and support, nothing more. Dennis had forgotten his purpose, and the Beast had been born. If he surrendered to Barry and let Dr. Staple treat them, maybe Kevin would be helped. Hell, maybe they would even have a friend in Casey, he considered wryly. Dennis hadn't had a single friend his entire life and the thought of one made him both pathetically desperate and hopeful.

On the other hand, if he stuck it out with the Horde, it was inevitable that they would escape Raven Hill and regain their freedom. Obviously they could never stop running, settle down, have some semblance of normalcy, but Dennis and Patricia had taken that choice from the rest of them once they allowed the Beast to emerge.

Whatever he chose, he realized he had to be the one to live with the consequences. His sins, his burden to bear.

Fortunately for Dennis, he was not as alone as he thought. His first glimmer of hope lay right around the corner, in a form he never would have expected: Barry.


	2. Dennis's Inferno

_You said you wanted evolution_  
_The ape was a great big hit_  
_You said you wanted revolution, man_  
_And I say that you're full of shit_

_-Marilyn Manson "Disposable Teens"_

**Day 5 at Raven Hill**

"Dennis."

A day had passed since Casey's visit, and Barry wouldn't stop looking at Dennis smugly, like he knew all along how this was gonna go down. It was annoying as shit and made Dennis want to strangle the other man.

In a lot of ways the two were similar, and that fact drove Dennis even crazier. It was his job to protect Kevin, to keep him from being hurt. In the event he failed (and he failed so much more often then he could bear), Barry stepped in and consoled their host, to talk him down from whatever dark place his mind was headed. The two of them together were Kevin's last line of defense against complete despair, possibly even suicide, so they took their roles very seriously. Naturally everyone was drawn to the good-natured Barry, making him the de facto leader of the identities, and Dennis low key despised him for it. It must be nice to let others take on the pain so you could live in the light and be loved.

As it was, he did not want to be having this conversation right now. "Whatever you have to say, I don't want to hear it, Barry."

"Please, I heard what ya said to the doctor."

Shifting in his chair, Dennis turned to fully look at the other alter, brow furrowing in annoyance. "Since when have you been able to listen in when I have the light?"

"The closer the others and I are able to get Kevin to the surface, the easier it is for all of us to hear what's going on at any given time." Dennis looked shocked, but Barry shrugged. "What, did you expect us to do nothing while you and Patricia ran our lives into the ground?"

Dennis ran his hand over his scalp, frustrated. "Alright. And what exactly is it you thought you heard me say to Dr. Staple?"

Barry looked at him with so much compassion it made Dennis's stomach knot up. "That you're tired of all the death. You never wanted this to happen."

Hearing the admission come from someone else's mouth made Dennis wince. He thought if he kept repeating Patricia's reassurances to himself, he would find himself soothed. It wasn't working though. If anything, Casey coming to see them made the regret worse, and Dennis had yet to disentangle himself from the various directions he found himself being pulled in. He looked Barry in the eyes. "Do you believe that?"

The question took Barry by surprise. "Why does it matter what I believe? You know what I've thought about this Horde nonsense since day one."

Dennis stood up from his chair and crossed his arms, turning to face the other man. "No, not that. Do you believe that I have regrets?"

Barry studied Dennis carefully, and chose his words even more so. "I think you've only ever had the best intentions, but you lost your way a long time ago. You've been so busy playing a part for Kevin that you forgot you were just as much a person as he is."

The words stung more than if he had been called a despicable monster, but Dennis just worked his jaw and nodded. He had nothing to offer in his own defense.

Not willing to drop the point, Barry probed further. "So why? Why did you do it?"

Dennis just shrugged. Again, he had no defense, not one he actually believed in anymore. He just had platitudes. "You've seen the Beast. You know how strong he is, he can keep us safe."

Barry quirked an eyebrow. "I thought that was your job."

There was an instant change in atmosphere. The whole of Kevin's consciousness flooded with rage, so much so it was suffocating, and Barry was terrified the Beast was about to emerge. Instead, he watched Dennis stare him down with burning eyes, a snarl warping his face. "That IS my job; it's been my job for 29 years! Did it ever occur to you, or the others, that maybe it was getting to be too much for me? That maybe I needed some HELP?"

The realization that he never had made Barry flush with shame. When he replied, it was in a small voice. "You're so private with your thoughts; you don't let any of us in when you have the light. How could we have known it was bothering you when you never say anything?"

A groan escaped Dennis without his meaning to. "Don't you get it? I don't let you see because I don't want you to see, if it's too much for me, how will any of you all fare?" He fell back into his chair, anger quickly spent. "But the Beast, he can handle it. He can take the memories from me and let me rest. He can be everything Kevin needs him to be. Everything WE need him to be," he added quietly.

Barry almost hit him. "Are you listening to yourself? You're nuts. What can the Beast give us that we actually want? What has that rampaging idiot cost us?" He began to count off of his fingers like he was reciting a simple grocery list, and Dennis squirmed uncomfortably in his chair. "I'll tell you: our job, our freedom, our sole friend in Dr. Fletcher, and that's only the beginning! The blood spilled under the Horde's watch is never going away. We have to live with this for the rest of our lives, and I know for a fact now that you hate it just as much as I do."

Dennis didn't respond, so Barry walked up to him, putting a gentle hand on his shoulder. "Would it help if you shared some of your memories with me? You shouldn't have to be the only one to carry it all."

Ah, there it was, Barry to the rescue, Barry the hero. Dennis lurched away angrily, startling him. "You don't know what you're asking," Dennis mumbled, refusing to look at the younger man.

Barry gave a humorless laugh. "You're right, I have absolutely zero idea. But I'm asking anyway."

Exhaling, Dennis's shoulders sagged. There was no denying the request, not anymore. As much as it made him feel like a failure, the offer of help was too appealing, and he was weak and only getting weaker."Fine. Come with me into the light. I'll show you there."

Both men surfaced cautiously to the forefront of Kevin's consciousness, and Barry suppressed a grin as they got closer to the light and heard Hedwig doing his very best Nicki Minaj impersonation. "I'm a motherfucking monster!" he yelled, pretending to crawl on the walls around their room.

"Hey monster, I'm coming up," Dennis called out. "I'm bringing Barry with me, so let him through."

The order gave Hedwig pause. "But Miss Patricia said that if I let Mr. Barry into the light-"

Dennis cut him off. "Kid, Barry and I have to talk about something really important. Something Beast related, ok? So do me a favor and keep all the others away from us, this is private."

Hedwig gasped with excitement at the idea of secrets, and Dennis, realizing his mistake, closed his eyes in frustration while Barry groaned.

"Oh secret meetings! Can I stay too Mr. Dennis? I've gotten really good at keeping secrets!" Hedwig was practically bouncing on the bed in excitement.

"Nah Hedwig, this is grownup talk," Barry interjected gently, trying to get ahead of what was sure to be a tantrum.

"But..but…that's not fair, I'm NEVER going to be a grownup! When do I get to have grownup talks?"

"Hedwig-"

"Let me stay and I'll tell you what our super hero alter ego name is!" he begged, offering the only bargaining chip he thought he held.

Unfortunately for Hedwig, the thought of another alter made Barry burst out laughing. "Isn't 24 identities enough for us?" he snickered.

He didn't mean to be cruel, but Hedwig took it as mockery and started to cry. "This is why I never let you in the light, Mr. Barry! I'm so sick of everyone making fun of me!"

If Dennis were in a more lighthearted mood, he would have felt pleasure at the fact that Mr. Social Butterfly had just put his foot into their collective mouth, but the gravity of what he was about to do was weighing heavy, and Hedwig's crying was upsetting. "Hedwig. If you've ever trusted me even a little bit, you'll listen to me right now." His voice was so uncharacteristically tender that the boy immediately stopped crying. "I have to tell Barry about Kevin's mom, alright? You don't want to hear about that, do you?"

The mention of Mrs. Crumb made Hedwig curl in on himself, clutching his knees to his chest. "No, I don't like that lady. She's meaner than the Joker and Thanos combined, etcetera."

Dennis nodded sagely. "I know. That's why I need you to go deep into Kevin, and keep everyone else away from the light, alright? Even Miss Patricia. You have to help me keep them safe; you're the only one that is strong enough. Please."

For a moment Hedwig looked from Barry to Dennis and back again, as though trying to decide if they were telling him the truth. Then a grin broke out on his face. "Yeah, I can do that!" Pleased with his new role as a co-conspirator with the adults, Hedwig happily allowed the two older alters to take the light.

Blinking into consciousness, the pair could see that in between his playing pretend and singing, Hedwig had been drawing gory comic book scenes with colored pencils that the hospital staff had provided for him.

Ever the artist, Barry gingerly picked them up for inspection. "Ok, this is disturbing, but you've gotta admit he's got some of my talent," he announced proudly, pointing to rather well drawn scene of the Beast decapitating what he assumed was the Overseer, cloaked head falling to the ground.

Dennis grunted. "Yeah great, Patricia and I turned the kid into a psychopath, and they're never going to let us out of here." He sighed impatiently, "Can we just get this over with?"

"Good lord, are you ever not miserable? I'm doing this to help you, why are ya so tight?" Barry rolled his eyes.

"Because, and I want you to understand this before I show you," Dennis paused to make sure he had Barry's full attention. "This is going to be really unpleasant, and there's nothing I can do to stop that. But I wish I could, more than anything. I need you to believe that."

The gravity of what Dennis said pressed down on the younger alter, but he put on a brave face. "It's going to be ok, Dennis. Let me see. Please."

Resigning himself to his next action, Dennis integrated himself fully into the light and sat crossed legged on their bed, back resting against the wall. He took a few deep breaths and crossed his arms in an unconscious attempt to shield them both from what was about to happen. "You ready?"

"As ready as I'll ever be."

Trying to relax and yet keep a pin on Barry wasn't easy, and it took Dennis a few minutes to calm down enough to access the parts of himself that he had long ago tried to bury.

Images began to flash out from his subconscious, and he tried to ride them out until he realized, to his horror, that something was wrong. More and more memories were coming through and he couldn't control them. He fought in vain to stem the tide, but it wouldn't stop. There were too many cracks in his wall, and it was coming crashing down on them both. Panicking, he grit his teeth down to the point he heard a crack, but the pain in his mouth was nothing compared to the scenes that were assaulting them both.

Barry wasn't faring much better. He was prepared to see some awful things, but what he witnessed went beyond that. As Dennis sunk them both deeper and deeper into his memories, the tide of darkness that surrounded them become denser and crueler, until it was no longer just darkness but filth that threatened to sweep them away.

Trying to get a foothold amidst the deluge of misery and pain that battered him, Barry steeled himself against the suffering that was inside them all, the suffering the others couldn't even begin to comprehend. The memories were so horrible, so wrong, that even Dennis, their great defender, could only hold onto fragments as they flashed through Barry's mind:

_Being forced to lick up blood, then the resulting mess of vomit_

_Swollen eyes, sclera the color of red and yellow_

_Trying frantically to remove a knife pinned into soft flesh_

_Skin sloughing off from third degree burns_

_Being used up in a way no teenage boy should be used by his mother_

Suddenly, Barry was aware of the light, and it was the most beautiful sensation ever; he could breathe again. He noticed offhand that there was the taste of vomit between his teeth and a sharp pain from where Dennis had cracked a tooth, but he still could have cried with joy.

When he was finally back in control of his senses, he looked around to see they were kneeling on the ground, Dennis desperately trying to clean up vomit with some of Headwig's drawing paper. They had gone through Hell together, and Dennis was more fazed by the mess on the floor then his memories. Barry had puked all over the poor OCD addled man, and it wasn't even his experiences he was reliving. "Dennis!" he gasped, and he could feel the other man cringe.

"Barry, I am so sorry, that got completely out of my control, I didn't mean for that to happen."

"Oh honey, don't you worry about that. I had no idea…I…." he trailed off, the horror of the situation dawning on him. Dennis had taken all that evil onto himself for years, living through it, trying to make sense of the senseless, and how had they all thanked him? They ostracized him, shunned him, afraid his brokenness would make life inconvenient or messy. No wonder he was desperate enough to let a Beast take over, it would have driven Barry to madness years ago. "I didn't know it was that bad, none of us did, I swear!"

He could feel Dennis smile grimly. "That just means I did my job."

"No, it's not…" he was having trouble even putting a sentence together, everything was so overwhelming. "That will never, ever be ok. I'm sorry Dennis, I can't even begin to put into words how sorry I am. I knew she hurt us real bad, she must have, right? But I had so very few memories of her.. and now.." he shuddered, the images of anguish flaring up again. "I'm going to have trouble sleeping for a long, long time. Dennis, how did you hold us together for so long?"

Dennis swallowed hard, the lump in their throat painfully stuck, and he looked at Barry with eyes full of unshed tears. "You don't think I'm disgusting? What I did?"

The thought that Dennis felt responsible for even the smallest part of the abuse they suffered made Barry see red. "Don't you ever say that again! Anything you did, you did to survive, you did it to keep us alive. You're not disgusting, babyboy, she was."

Dennis shuddered; something breaking open in him that he wasn't even aware existed. Acceptance from the most beloved alter meant more to him than he was ever capable of admitting to himself. In the past they had rarely seen eye to eye, and he never realized up until that point that he held so much respect for Barry.

His relief was short lived, though. "I'm also the one that fucked up our lives beyond salvaging." He sat back down on their bed dejectedly, grinding his palms into his eyebrows. He felt like shit.

Barry wasn't sure how to respond. It was true that he didn't see an easy way out of their situation, but he was also sure that it wasn't the time or the place to worry about that. Lord knew they had plenty of free time to contemplate at Raven Hill. Instead, he just gently started to help Dennis get back on his feet, murmuring for him to sleep, to recuperate.

"You let me worry about our fucked up life for a while," he smiled ruefully. "I meant what I said. If we're going to fix this, we have to work together from now on. I'll hold the light, maybe try and puzzle out some ideas with Orwell. Just…." He paused, and Dennis looked at him before fully giving up the light. "Just…promise me, are ya done with the Horde? With the Beast?"

The silence before Barry got a response seemed to stretch on for eternity, and their shared heartbeat could be heard pounding in his ears.

Dennis realized his time was up and he had to make a choice. Weak from exhaustion, tired of being used, he nonetheless gathered himself to make his voice a roar, one that all of the System could hear. "Not one more person dies on my watch!" he swore. "You hear me, Patricia?! It's over, no more!"

Patricia didn't answer, she didn't have to. In the far recesses of Kevin, furious thunder answered him back, the Beast screaming in rage at the betrayal.

"Oh shit," Barry breathed out, eyes widening at the challenge that was issued.

Dennis didn't have the inclination or the energy to get into a confrontation at the moment, so he headed for the darkness, away from the light.

"Mr. Dennis?"

Barry and Dennis started, and turned to see Hedwig cowering behind them.

"What is it Hedwig?" Dennis felt like he was about to fall over from fatigue, but he adored the boy, and wasn't going to leave without making sure he was alright.

Hedwig moved cautiously to Dennis and reached for his hand with his own trembling ones. "What did you and Mr. Barry talk about?" he whispered in a strangled voice. "Why are you mad at the Beast?"

"I…" Dennis pinched the bridge of his nose, not sure how to explain his change of heart to Hedwig. He looked to Barry, but Barry just shrugged his shoulders helplessly. It's not like Hedwig listened to him, anyway. So Dennis tried again. "What the Beast is asking us to do, it's too much. We're hurting too many people."

The explanation made no sense to Hedwig. "I thought they were food."

"No, they are not food. Miss Patricia and I were wrong, and we told ourselves lies so that we would feel better about what we were doing. But people aren't food, Hedwig. The Beast doesn't get to kill them just because he says so."

"So why were you helping him?"

Dennis sighed. It was just like a child to ask questions when you needed them to shut up and listen. His confusion was understandable though. "I was weak. I wasn't strong like you all needed me to be. I was…selfish."

The admission made Hedwig furrow his brows, just like he always saw Dennis do. "Did you change your mind 'cause of Casey?"

"Well," Dennis glanced at Barry, hoping he didn't notice the color rising in his cheeks. "Casey…has helped give some clarity to my thoughts, yes."

Before he could elaborate further, they heard the Beast roar again, this time closer. Dennis moved to take the light fully, to protect Barry and the others in case the Horde was making a move, but Barry would have none of it. "It's my turn to be strong for Kevin," he reassured, despite the doubt he was feeling. "Besides, if we're going to beat the Horde, we need you well rested."

It was all true, but Dennis didn't like the situation one bit. "Fine. But if Patricia tries something…"

Barry snorted. "Patricia can't do anything without Hedwig. Isn't that right, doll?"

With the look Hedwig shot Barry, it was clear that he didn't trust him.

Dennis knelt down so he could be eye level with the boy. "It's not fair for us to have to ask you this, but your power is so special that it can't be helped." Hedwig's eyes widened and his expression of awe was almost enough to make Dennis smile, but he kept his expression steady so Hedwig would understand the gravity of the situation. "I need you to be strong and use that power to keep Patricia out of the light until I figure out how to fix this mess we made, alright?"

Eyes filling with tears, Hedwig was devastated. "I hafta fight Miss Patricia?"

"Just until we get her to understand we can't use our powers to hurt anymore. She's stubborn as hell, but smart. She'll come around, kid."

Hedwig remained uncharacteristically quiet, obviously unconvinced. Dennis had to pull out the big guns. "If you help me and Barry, I bet Casey would come back to visit us. Would you like to see Casey again?"

Eyes lighting up, Hedwig started jumping around in excitement. "Casey! And when she comes back we can draw together, and watch some movies, and play games, etcetera…" he trailed off, elation clearly overwhelming his faculties and Dennis felt a stab of grief. He didn't know how to tell the boy that there probably wouldn't be movies and games for a long, long time. Not unless…

He shook the thoughts from his mind, not even daring to entertain hope. He was sore and tired and it would do no one any good to make plans while half asleep.

Barry noticed and smiled. "For god's sake, get some rest. We'll talk more when you're feeling better, alright? Hedwig and me, we got this." He winked at the child, and Hedwig burst into a grin.

"Yeah! Mr. Barry and I are gonna hold onto the light until you get back, don't worry Mr. Dennis!"


	3. Into the Ninth Circle

Today was it, Dennis could feel it throughout his entire body. This was the day Mr. Glass wanted them to escape, and it was inevitable that a showdown with the Horde would occur. Despite his earlier oath that he would no longer work in service of the Beast, Patricia had come to him again and again-pleading, threatening, and promising if only he would come back to the fold.

Dennis only regarded her with stony faced silence. They had to know by now he was lost to their cause, but he didn't want his plans with Barry and Orwell to be made evident. Part of those plans had required Hedwig to pretend to still be loyal to the Horde, but as this was an actual secret that the adults let him in on, he played the part well.

It was a simple enough plan. After the Beast broke them out of Raven Hill, Hedwig would steal the light and hand it over to Dennis before the Horde tried to force their ridiculous fight with David Dunn, or even worse, get someone else killed. They were unsure if Patricia had confided in Mr. Glass about Dennis's change of heart, and if so, they might be walking into a trap. It couldn't be helped, though. Besides, Dennis had a contingency plan. It was 100% fucking insane, but he was willing to try anything to save Kevin's soul. To save his soul.

"Male parta male dilabuntur," Orwell had told him when Barry officially announced to the others that Dennis had renounced the Horde.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Dennis inquired, nervously adjusting his glasses, expecting it to be some sort of esoteric rebuke.

Instead, Orwell just smiled sadly at the other man. "It means that we have a chance to fix this, but it probably won't be pleasant, or even easy."

Well, that went without saying. But all they could do for the moment was watch and wait until Glass gave the signal, and fortunately they didn't have to wait long. The Beast was on the move, wounded from Dennis's betrayal and Patricia's lack of faith, courtesy of Dr. Staple. He was eager to prove to the world that the broken were now on the top of the food chain, and Mr. Glass was eager to let him.

The two made their escape rather easily, Patricia wheeling Glass through the basement floor of the hospital. Some guards were eventually alerted to the suspicious pair, but the Beast came through and made short work of them. Freedom was just outside the door, and Dennis had his chance. While the Beast was distracted with his triumph over the guards, Hedwig forced his way through to the light, only to quickly turn it over to Dennis.

"Nice job Hedwig," Dennis praised the beaming child. "That went way easier than I expected."

Still on high alert for a trap, Dennis nodded to Mr. Glass, letting him know that he was now the one holding the light, and pushed them out the doorway, their way to liberation.

If Glass was aware that Dennis was no longer on his side, he didn't show it, and that made Dennis increasingly nervous. He wasn't the only one, and he could feel some of the other alters' agitated pacing near the light. "Did we make it?"" Barry asked impatiently, but Dennis shushed him. He needed all his wits about him right now.

"That's the vehicle we'll be taking to Osaka Tower," Glass pointed to a Raven Hill Memorial Transit Van when they got out into the parking lot. "Here," he threw a set of keys to Dennis. "Go get our boy some food."

Dennis observed Mr. Glass gravely. He seemed in no real hurry to leave the hospital grounds, and that sent all sorts of alarm bells off in the guardian's head. It was obvious Glass was up to something, but hell if Dennis knew what that was.

Still, he was just given keys to a working vehicle. He didn't know that looking for a sacrifice was going to be in the cards, but maybe this was just Mr. Glass testing him. It didn't matter though. As soon as they got far enough away from Raven Hill, Dennis could just let any would be victims out of the van, preferably stranding Glass before them, and get Kevin far, far away from this insanity.

Now there was just the issue of finding "food".

Hospital alarms began sounding, apparently the security guards had been found. Dennis prayed that at least some of them were still breathing, but knew to expect the worst. At least this time it was in self defense. He needed to hurry, though.

And...ah, right there. Two women were walking right towards him, nervously glancing around, trying to figure out what the alarms were all about. Their uniforms read "volunteer". Young. Easy marks.

Still unsure if Glass was suspicious of foul play, Dennis blocked the women and herded them to the back of the Ford. He didn't waste his breath trying to comfort them, to let them know everything would be alright. Words were meaningless when actions screamed violence, and he had no way of convincing them it was all an act. At least they would be safer inside the vehicle, hidden away from the struggle if things started to go south.

After tossing them inside, he slammed the doors shut and turned to confront Glass. "How many people are going to die today?" he pleaded, hoping against hope that the idea of mass carnage might sway the mastermind.

Unfortunately the other man just stared back at him coldly, zero emotion evident on his face.

"I'm not doing this anymore," Dennis announced, and saying it out loud to another person felt so good he almost laughed with relief. "I don't care what Patricia says, I'm not doing it!"

Suddenly, the telltale sensation of being kicked from the light tickled the back of his mind, and panic began to rise. "Hedwig is taking the light," he gasped out in warning before he was forced back into his chair.

"Hey guys, what's up?" the little boy had impulsively just decided the cost was clear and that he could reemerge, not realizing the ramifications of his actions. Dennis hadn't even had a chance to get them away yet.

The System was thrown into a panic, those loyal to Kevin shouting at Hedwig to relinquish control before the Beast could act, the Horde making a push for dominance. Despite their diminished numbers with Dennis's betrayal, the Beast was still the most powerful alter, and emerged from the chaos easily to take the light.

After a few minutes, the sounds of the Overseer and the Beast exchanging blows became apparent (when did Dunn show up?, Dennis briefly wondered to himself) and the wailing of sirens started to go off in the distance. All hell was breaking loose, and their chance of escape grew smaller and smaller.

"Young man, just what did you think you were doing?!" Mr. Pritchard yelled. "You just opened the door for the Beast to come through, and not even you can reclaim the light now!"

All the negative attention being directed towards him caused Hedwig to cower in a corner, eyes wide with fear. Barry came to the rescue, scooping him up and running over to Dennis, Orwell, and Mary, who were currently in the middle of an argument over what their next step should be.

"Hold strong!" Orwell was yelling. "When the Persians rose up against the Greeks in 490 BC, the Greeks were sorely outnumbered, but-"

"Not th' time Orwell!" Mary snapped.

The man scoffed at her. "My dear, what time is better for war stories if not in the middle of battle?"

"How about we save the history lessons for when we're not being shot at?" Barry retorted, putting Hedwig down gently at their feet. "It's ok kiddo, you didn't know," he whispered to the boy, then stood up to face the others. "Can anyone see what's going on out there? The Beast is too strong; he's blocking me from looking."

They all nodded in the affirmative, and Dennis clenched his jaw, determined. "Plan B. The Beast only respects suffering and violence. I think it's time to start talking to it in its own language."

Barry eyed him warily. "You want us to push out the Beast for good? The only one who could do that is Kevin, and we haven't been able to stabilize him yet. If by some miracle we got him to the light, it would probably only get us killed."

Dennis shook his head. "No, this isn't Kevin's problem to fix, it's mine."

This caused an uneasy silence between the others, and they glanced at each other nervously until Mary spoke up. "That will work, so will it? Ye know there's no love lost between us, Dennis. But you're a part ah Kevin, an' we need ye. If ye go head to head with th' Beast and lose, it's over for us all. An' don't ye know ye will lose?"

His nostrils flared in irritation, but Dennis didn't protest. He knew she was correct.

"But…" Mary continued, "Th' Beast might be able tae beat ye one on one, but could he take on all of us now?"

Barry scratched the side of his face in thought. Every part of him was screaming to just go back into the dark, to wait until everything blew over and they had time to lick their wounds. It's what he had been doing since the first emergence of the Beast, and thus far they had managed to stay healthy and alive.

Unfortunately for him, the loss of even one more life at their hands would be unbearable, and he knew the others felt the same. The time for hiding was over. Dennis had made his choice, now it was his turn.

"I think I have an idea," he admitted, licking his lips nervously. "You're going to hate it, so let me finish before you make your protests," he quickly added, and one by one they all nodded their agreement.

Barry was right, they did hate it. They hated it, and swore then and there that they would do their best to carry it out and see it through to the end. For Kevin's sake.

* * *

Freezing water was swirling all around David Dunn, and he fought to keep his brain from shutting down in terror as he defended himself against the fury of the Beast. Despite witnessing his raw power up close beforehand, it still chilled David to think how the wounded, crying man called Kevin could turn into the unnatural thing he was in a death struggle with.

The Beast knew of David's fear of water, and grinned wickedly as he reached out to tear the other's throat open. Dunn panicked and started to slam into the back of the water tank they were trapped in, making the mistake of turning his back and taking his eyes off of the creature for a second.

He felt powerful arms wrap around his chest from behind, as the monster pulled him closer, a death embrace. Almost tenderly the Beast brought his lips to the back of Dunn's head and smiled against his skin. "Rest now," the Beast murmured into him, and blind panic at the thought of a watery grave filled David with a second wind.

A satisfying crack that was felt more than heard accompanied David's head smashing into the Beast's nose, and his enemy roared back in surprise. Dunn pressed his advantage and wrapped his hands around the Beast's throat, trying to crush his windpipe.

In a move purely motivated by survival, the Beast swiped at Dunn's eyes, then fluidly turned and punched a hole through the water tank. He would lose the advantage of using David's fear against him, but he could reclaim the high ground easily enough.

As soon as they burst through the tank, the armored police who had swiftly arrived at Raven Hill began shooting at them, and the Beast got down on all fours to move more effortlessly amongst the turmoil.

He was halfway up the east block of Raven Hill when he shuddered, sensing that something was wrong. It felt like his limbs were losing their strength, and too late he realized he was somehow losing his grip on the light. This had never happened before.

Looking around the makeshift battlefield, he spied a familiar dark haired girl among the police and panicking doctors, and by instinct headed towards the one person that felt like a semblance of safety. He could hear her calling to him, calling out Kevin's name like it was a mantra to ward off further ruin.

For her part, Casey saw the Beast coming for her from across the parking lot, and gasped as she witnessed him fall off the wall he was traversing. Dodging the police cars and gunman, she was able to make her way to where she had seen him land before anyone else reached him.

When she arrived, she found not the Beast but Patricia lying there, panting in surprise and pain. It was clear she didn't understand why she was now holding the light, and as Casey got closer, she noted that a shinbone was protruding out of her left leg.

"Casey!" Patricia gasped, struggling to sit up and examine the extent of her injury. "Casey, what's going on? Why am I here? What has happened to the Beast?" There was an edge of creeping panic to her voice, like at any moment she was about to have a complete breakdown.

Quickly kneeling besides her, Casey looked to see if there was anything she could do for the broken bone. Long ago her father had taught her a great extent of first aid skills, but she could see nothing that would act as a splint in a pinch. "I don't know what's going on Patricia, but we need to get you out of here, fast. There are so many cops here, and I heard them being told to shoot to kill."

Looping Patricia's right arm over her shoulder, Casey struggled to get them both on their feet. Patricia was still a woman in a large man's body, and it took everything Casey had not to fall over. Patricia rested her head on Casey's shoulder, closing her eyes against the pain. "Dennis," she hissed. "I bet that traitor is involved somehow."

This gave Casey pause, and she spared a glance at the other woman. "Why would Dennis do this? Is he not working with the Horde anymore?"

The look Patricia gave Casey was ice cold, but she bit back the scathing response that worked its way up her throat. The young woman was currently the only thing between herself and certain death, and she was not going to push her luck. "Don't worry about him now, dove, let's find somewhere to hide, if you please."

Casey turned her attention back to surviving in this new current nightmare, but could not stop wondering about Dennis. The last time she had seen him, he had sounded so confident in his declarations of loyalty to the Horde, so what had happened between then and now? She determined to find out as soon as they got out of this mess. If they got out of it.

Currently they weren't being pursued. It looked like the men in black body armor and Dr. Staple were having a confrontation with David Dunn and his son Joseph. Casey didn't know how much time that would buy them. "I'm not sure where we can go Patricia; they must have an entire army barracks out here looking for the Beast."

Spying a van that was used for patient transportation much further down the parking lot, Patricia indicated that that was where they should be heading. "Over there. I can't imagine the authorities will be giving us much time to recover. Quick as you like now."

Grunting, Casey half dragged them over to the far side of the vehicle and allowed Patricia to lean against the trunk while she heaved the door open. It took a few moments to get them both inside and lying down to avoid detection, but as soon as they were situated, Patricia grabbed Casey's hand, surprising the younger woman. "I'm going to leave the light and try to figure out what is going on. If Dennis, Barry, or any of the others attempt to take control, kindly remind them that the Beast is our only way out of this that does not involve a body bag."

Unsure of how to feel about being left alone, Casey nodded numbly and watched as Patricia winked out of the light.

After a few tense moments, it seemed that no one else would be coming to claim the light for themselves. Kevin almost looked peaceful, like he was sleeping. Not sure what else to do, Casey lay down by his side and prayed Patricia would find help quickly.

* * *

"SUBMIT!"

Patricia heard Dennis before she was able to see what was going on, and when she discovered the others, she found herself in the grip of both rage and fear.

Rage, because Dennis had the Beast lying prone, his knee driving her god further into the ground, arms yanked behind his back. Barry, Heinrich, and Orwell were assisting him, and if she could have at that moment, she would have killed them all for their insolence.

Fear, because it looked like the Horde was losing, and there was nothing she could do to stop it. Jade, Luke, Nora, all the others who had eventually come around to the gospel of the Beast were nowhere to be found. Were they also apostates, or had they been cast into the darkness like she and Dennis originally were?

"Dennis you fool, you're going to get us all killed!" she shrieked, storming up to her former partner. "How did you force me to take the light? Where is Hedwig?" She looked around momentarily for the boy, but Hedwig was nowhere in sight, the adults insisting he be far away from their confrontation with the Beast.

Encouraged by the fact that his priestess was now by his side, the Beast turned to look at Dennis over his shoulder, hate filling his black eyes. "Release me! You don't know what you are doing!"

"I know exactly what I'm doing," Dennis retorted. "I should have never let you out. Submit to the will of the System and we will let you live. Keep struggling and you die."

The Beast made a noise and it was unclear if it was a snarl or laughter. "If I die, we all die!"

Dennis glared at him from over top of his glasses, unimpressed with the threat. "Better dead than live our lives as a serial killer."

Gathering his strength for one last attempt at freedom, the Beast bucked a few times, finally managing to throw Dennis off of his back and quickly jumped to his feet, biting and snapping at all who got too close. "Who are you to make that choice for Kevin?" he snarled. "Who are you to make that choice for any of us?"

Momentarily stunned from hitting the ground hard, Dennis propped himself up on his elbows. "Kevin asked to die the first time we allowed you to kill." The memory still filled him with shame. "I know this, you know this. I am the first born, and it is my responsibility to set things right. We're ending this today."

To everyone's surprise, it was Patricia, not the Beast, who charged at Dennis. He was still picking himself up off the ground and she caught him off guard, toppling him over again. Enraged, she wrapped her hands around his throat, but while she was by no means a small woman, she didn't stand a chance against the System's protector.

He quickly overpowered her and stood back up, taking her with him. He grabbed her by the wrists and pulled them up over her head, rendering her helpless. "It's over, Patricia. Give it up."

"You foolish child," she snarled in his face. "Kevin is currently lying in the back of a van bleeding out from a multi-split fracture. The cops will be here to kill us any second, not to say anything of your beloved Casey!"

Dennis's face fell. "Casey? What is she doing here?"

"She obviously cares about Kevin, you spineless prat! Is this how you're going to reward her loyalty? Death?"

Head spinning, Dennis didn't notice in time that the Beast had advanced upon him, and he was launched into the air with a powerful uppercut. "You would let our pure, broken Casey die for your pride?" the Beast taunted, preparing another blow.

The idea of Casey dying at all filled Dennis with a primal sense of injustice, the same injustice he felt all throughout his life as he saw other children with normal, loving families. Casey was now one of them, by her own admission, and he wouldn't let her be hurt ever again.

"No." Dennis struggled to get to his knees, then his feet, wiping away blood pouring from his nose. "Casey isn't going to die. You and I are going to get her out of here, and then you're going into the darkness and never coming out again."

The Beast found this amusing. "How do you intend to make me, weak man?" Grabbing Dennis by the neck, he lifted him easily off of the ground.

"Mr. Dennis!" The cry echoed throughout the room, and no one was prepared for little Hedwig to come charging in and start throwing punches, landing ineffective blows on the Beast's lower back.

Enraged, the Beast reached with his free hand to grab the boy, but Orwell decided the distraction was an opportune moment to intervene, and he jumped on the bigger man, trying to get an arm around his throat. Then there was Barry, and Ian, and Samuel, and soon all the alters loyal to Kevin were on top of the Beast, dragging him down. He was rendered immobile within a few tense minutes.

On his knees but still defiant, the Beast spit at their feet. "So it takes all of you to restrain me. Again I ask, how do you intend to force me to serve your will?"

In what felt like a lifetime ago, Dennis had read Dr. Fletcher's paper about a blind girl that had a few alters that could see. He and Barry had theorized that the opposite must be possible as well, that there could be a blind alter in the midst of those with vision. How to go about doing this without hurting Kevin was anyone's guess, but they had to try.

Dennis stared at the Beast quietly for a few moments, before bracing himself. "How do you intend to do anything when you can't see?"

For the first time in his short life, the Beast felt something like fear, and he struggled against all of the others as Dennis advanced on him.

Patricia screamed. "No! You would maim the pinnacle of human evolution? Don't do this!"

"Help me Kevin," Dennis whispered under his breath, as though petitioning a god, and he braced himself for the task at hand.

Kevin must have heard, for when Dennis touched the Beast, he found he could move through him, deep into the dark that was the void of their shared consciousness. Agonizing memories rushed over him, abuse and neglect from long ago, playing out repeatedly. This time he was ready for it though. He had lived it once before, he could bear it all again.

As he reached deeper into the Beast's mind, the lines between the two alters started to blur; he left pieces of himself behind in every place he touched, binding them together in ways he never thought possible. Briefly he wondered if he was just replacing one monster with parts of another, but he wouldn't accept that, couldn't accept that. He would be good. He was being good. And when he finally retreated, he took the Beast's sight with him.

"You had no right!" the Beast cried in agony, and for a moment Dennis almost felt guilty. Then he thought back to all of those broken bodies that had been opened by the hands of the Horde, and his resolve strengthened. He knelt down to face the Beast, despite the fact he could no longer see the pity and anger on Dennis's face.

"No, you had no right." He replied firmly. "We had no right to do what we did to those girls. Now we pick up the pieces and try to fix this. If you want to see again, you have to share the light with one of us. Our vision. Your strength. You need us."

The Beast moaned in protest, but something was different in his demeanor. Dennis had fundamentally changed the alter in ways he didn't quite understand, but it was quickly becoming apparent that most of the fight had left him. He nodded in obedience.

"Good." Dennis said gruffly. "Now get up. Now we save Casey and get out of here."


	4. Ascension

The policemen had yet to find their hiding spot, but Casey could hear the steady drone of a helicopter in the distance and knew they would be discovered sooner rather than later. While Kevin was unconscious she tried to patch his leg up, and fortunately Patricia had chosen a van that had a medical kit inside. Casey was no doctor, but at least she could finally stop the bleeding.

Suddenly Kevin started to breathe heavily, and Casey jumped up and moved to the other end of the van, unsure of who was about to emerge. No sooner had she reached the last row when she heard a pained groan, and turned just in time to see black eyes staring back at her. She recoiled instinctively, and then tried to force herself to calm down. The Beast saw her as the one of the broken, and she knew in a way she knew nothing else that he would not hurt her.

She went over to see if he needed help, and was caught off guard by the blue flecks that now dotted his irises. "Kevin?" she whispered, unsure of whom she was looking at.

The Beast moaned and shook his head, bringing up a hand to massage his temple. "No. No, it's me."

The New York accent was unmistakable, and she was floored. "Dennis?" Without thinking, she threw her arms around his waist, and then cringed when she remembered how injured he was. Dennis, or the Beast, or whoever it was, didn't make a sound though. When she looked up, she just saw a pair of blueish black eyes lightly staring back at her.

"Casey, you shouldn't be here," Dennis scolded, but only meant it halfheartedly. He still couldn't believe that she had risked her life for them.

She ignored the reprimand, still utterly fascinated by his eyes. "I don't understand, is that you Dennis? Why do you look like-"

He cut her off. "The Beast is beaten. I'll explain later, we need to get out of here."

Remembering their current predicament, Casey quickly settled down. "Can you even walk with that fracture?" she asked tentatively.

Dennis smiled grimly at her. "What fracture?"

Casey looked back down at his calf, and then quickly removed the bandages she had applied earlier. The only sign there had ever been any trauma at all was the dried blood sticking to his skin. She had to keep herself from asking ten million questions all at once, and instead just breathed a sigh of relief. That was going to make escaping so much easier.

He glanced out of the rear window, rolling his shoulders back nervously. "I know it's a stupid thing to ask for, but I need you to trust me." He was looking at her out of the corner of his eyes, unmoving, like he was trying not to startle a small animal. "Would you be comfortable getting on my back? We need to move fast and it will be quickest if I can scale the gate on the west end over there. The woods should provide enough cover for us to disappear."

Casey swallowed nervously. She wasn't afraid of Dennis, but the thought of clinging to someone else, so high up off the ground, was enough to make her a bit weak in the knees. "What if I fall?"

Dennis turned from the window to give her his full attention, and reached out to gently grasp her forearm. "I won't let you. I swear it."

So much promise in such few words, but it was clear he meant them. Casey relented. "Then yes, I don't mind." She moved to slide open the door, but Dennis stopped her. "Not yet. We have to create a distraction first."

Casey raised her eyebrows at him. "What kind of a distraction?"

"I'm not so good with strategy," Dennis admitted. "Fortunately, there's someone here who is."

Realizing he was talking about another identity, Casey clung to him. "Are you leaving?"

Her touch gave Dennis pause; he wasn't sure how to interpret it. "Just for now. I'll be back when Orwell gives me the 'all clear'. He may be smart, but me? If anyone is scaling walls and dodging bullets, it's going to be me."

"But you don't even have your glasses on you, do you?" Casey didn't want to offend the man, but if she were going to be trusting him with her life, she'd rather not be running in to walls.

The thought actually made her choke back a stressed laugh, and Dennis's face turned quizzical. "I'm nearsighted. That won't be an issue though. Like I said, I'll explain later. Let's get to safety, alright?"

Seeing the wisdom in that, Casey released his arm and stood back.

A few seconds passed, and then: "Hello my dear."

Casey couldn't help but smile when she heard Orwell's voice. It always reminded her of her favorite sociology teacher in high school, a kindly older man who always seemed to see Casey's humanity over her quiet rebellion. "Hello Orwell. It's nice to see you again."

Orwell beamed at her. "Likewise. I do regret it's under these circumstances, but perhaps later we can get better acquainted when there are less pressing matters to address?"

Casey smiled shyly. "I'd like that."

Orwell patted her arm, and then as if suddenly realizing his surroundings, looked at his veiny, muscular form in distaste. "Oh! Dear me, what has the Beast done to our body?"

His surprise came as unexpected to Casey. How did he not know what the Beast looked like? "Orwell, when was the last time you held the light?"

Before he could respond, the barking of orders was heard over the din of the helicopter; apparently they were now actively being searched for. Whatever distraction David Dunn had afforded them was now over.

"Oh my god, if they find us we're going to die," Casey pressed herself against the middle row of seats, futilely trying to camouflage herself.

Orwell, on the other hand, didn't seem fazed. "Oh well, you know what they say. 'When in Rome, do as the Romans do'."

Casey had no idea what that was supposed to mean in their current scenario, and before she could protest he jumped out of the van and spared her a glance before running headlong into the men. "Run Casey, I won't be far behind!"

Leaping out of the vehicle, Casey headed towards the fence Dennis had mentioned, completely ignored by the police. Turning back to look one last time, she saw the Beast, or rather Orwell, pushing a power line over onto the blacktop where the water tank had spilled. As the line fell, live wires ripped open exposing their nerves, creating a field of deadly electricity for whoever tried to cross the expanse. It wasn't enough to completely stop the advancement, but it would buy them a little time.

Not satisfied, Orwell jumped on top of another nearby van, trying to catch the eye of any gunman that wasn't trying to find a way around the electrified water. Heightened senses alerted him to a sniper that now had his gun trained on him, and in the blink of an eye he jumped down behind the hood of the vehicle. Bullets peppered the area and the engine caught on fire, making it convenient for Orwell to push it towards a group of police that were now flanking his left side. With the hospital to his right, power lines in front and burning car to the left, all that was left to do was make a run for it.

Orwell signaled to Dennis, and the other alter quickly grabbed hold of the light, a part of him noticing that he had never swapped places with any of the alters so effortlessly before. Working together would have felt a lot nicer if their lives weren't currently at stake.

The cops on foot were preoccupied now, but the helicopter was rotating back around again, and Dennis decided the time was now or never. Breaking into a run he followed Casey's footsteps until he reached the gate and saw her pacing back and forth nervously, waiting for him. "Casey!" he yelled out, alerting her to the fact that he was fast approaching, and the look of relief on her face when she saw him made his heart contract in ways he wasn't used to.

Stopping where she stood, he bent down to let her more easily climb onto his back, arms and legs wrapping around his torso like she belonged there. Dennis could hear the men with the guns screaming to one another, pointing out his location, and he tensed his body up to make a run for the gate before backup arrived.

"Hold on," he cautioned, and without further warning Casey could feel his thigh muscles coil underneath him as he took a running leap forward and latched on to the wiring. She closed her eyes tightly, not wanting to see the distance between themselves and the ground, but fortunately Dennis made short work of the gate and before she knew it, they were at the top.

"I'm going to jump down," he warned, and Casey shook her head against him. "That's going to shatter every bone in your body!"

Dennis grunted. "Trust me Casey; it's going to be alright."

She didn't have much of a choice, and with a combination of breathless horror and wonder, they dived down and she watched the ground rush up to meet them, Dennis bringing his hands out to stabilize the fall like a giant cat. The force of impact made the surrounding area shake, and when he stood up on two legs again, she could see the crater his body had left behind.

"Oh my god," she whispered, but barely had enough time to register what had just happened before he was off again, running through the woods at top speed.

Despite their fast pace, minutes seemed to tick by agonizingly slow to Casey, on alert for any sign that they were still being hunted. Eventually the sounds of guns and the helicopter faded into the distance, and she allowed herself a small glimmer of hope that they had actually come out of all that unscathed.

Suddenly she became aware that Dennis's gait was off kilter and he was beginning to stumble. Panting, he nearly collapsed to the ground, and she quickly jumped off of his back to relieve him of the extra weight.

Cocking her head, she listened again for the sounds of perusal, but heard nothing aside from Dennis's labored breathing. Reaching out to touch him, to make sure he was ok, she gently took his face into her hands. "Are you doing alright?" she asked, concern etching her entire body.

"Yeah, just…" he pulled himself away so he could rest against the trunk of a nearby tree. "I just need a few seconds. The Beast is strong, but god we are going to feel this tomorrow." He choked out a weak laugh and then closed his eyes, the only sign he hadn't passed out being the erratic rise and fall of his chest.

Casey didn't want to stress him further, but they were exposed in the woods and couldn't have been more than a few miles from Raven Hill. They couldn't stop. "Are you able to keep going? You don't have to carry me anymore; I just think we should keep moving."

Dennis groaned, but nodded his head.

"Any idea where we are headed?"

The question made Dennis frown. "We aren't going anywhere. We are moving clear of that damn hospital, and then you are going home and the others and I are going to be laying low for a bit."

For the first time since he had met her, Casey stared him down furiously. "So what, you're done with me, and I'm being dismissed? Is that it?"

"What?" Of course she was going to make this difficult, he should have known. Couldn't she see that she wasn't safe with him? "Don't be ridiculous. You've been through enough on account of us; you need to worry about your own hide."

"You motherfucker!" Casey's outburst made him jump despite his exhaustion, and he raised his eyebrows in surprise, but she was beside herself with anger. He didn't get to just inject himself into her life and then decide to be the arbitrator of what was and wasn't good for her well being. She was a person, not a doll he could pick up and put down as he saw fit.

"Excuse me?" His voice was clipped and cold, and he crossed his arms, daring her to stare him down.

For a second Casey had to fight off shivers, flashing back to those days spent prisoner under the zoo. But the Beast had freed her, turned her world upside down. With a few simple words (You are different from the rest. Rejoice!) her thoughts had changed, and thus changed her reality. She wasn't going to stand down to Dennis, not anymore. "I don't know if you recall, but you kidnapped me, so you don't get to talk about putting me in danger. As I remember it, you were willing to sacrifice me, and not only me, but who knows how many others? You don't get to fucking talk about my safety!"

Her words were burning in his head, and Dennis tried his best not to start hyperventilating. Everything she said was true, and it was like little knives in his heart. He uncrossed his arms and looked away, refusing to meet her gaze. "I've been a coward and a fool, I know. Please don't make me put you any more at risk than I already have," was all he weakly offered in response. Then he turned and started walking forward again, hoping against hope she wouldn't see the sorrow on his face.

* * *

A near half hour of silence had passed between the two, the only sounds the occasional call of a bird and further off, the hum of multiple vehicles. They must be getting close to a highway, Casey mused.

Dennis, let me talk to her! Barry broke through the self loathing cloud Dennis was currently under. Oh good, now he got to hear from the peanut gallery.

"Mind your business, I've got this!" Dennis snapped, and winced when he realized he looked like he was talking to himself. Casey looked over at him, curious. "Um, Barry was just saying something," he explained lamely, embarrassed.

Slowing her pace, Casey suddenly forgot her anger. "So you can just talk to the other alters whenever you want? They don't just disappear when you have the light?"

Surprised by her interest, Dennis shrugged. "I mean, kind of. It's like we're all sitting in a room, in chairs, right? And when you have the light, you're in control of Kevin, you're looking through his eyes, but you're still semi aware that you're in that room." He rubbed the back of his head. "You with me? Does that make any sense?"

Casey nodded. "It does." A thought occurred to her. "So is there any chance I can see Barry?"

Snorting, Dennis folded his arms across his chest. "Why? Because you know he's not going to try to send you back home?"

Ugh, just let me out ya tyrant, I want to see her too! Besides, I thought we were partners now.

Dennis rolled his eyes and threw up his hands in defeat. "Fine! Okay? But don't try and make me the bad guy, Barry. She has got to go; she's not safe here with us." In a moment, Dennis was gone from the light, and it seemed whatever part of the Beast he controlled went with him.

Before Casey's very own eyes Kevin's body seemed to light up from within, hold itself with a joy and playfulness that she wasn't used to seeing imposed on his powerful form. The black eyes faded to light blue, and when they glanced her way they sparkled with pleasure.

"How you doing sweetheart?" Barry purred, hugging her. Casey eagerly returned the embrace. While she had spent so very little time with him previously, he was one of the alters that haunted her most. To be forced to do horrible things with no recourse, and with such a good heart. It made her shudder.

He began fussing over her immediately, noting a bruise on her face that she hadn't even remember getting. "Doll, you look exhausted. Why did ya put yourself between the Beast and all of those guns? You could have gotten killed!"

Casey pulled him into a hug again, unwilling to let him go. "I was afraid for you."

He grunted in disapproval."That's a lot of skin to put on the line for someone that kidnapped you." His voice was light, but she knew he held tremendous guilt over her abduction.

Looking up at him under her lashes, she shook her head vehemently. "You never kidnapped me. I know you did everything you could to stop the Horde; I don't blame you or Kevin in the least. That's why I came to see you. At Raven Hill, I mean. I didn't want you to feel all alone."

The admission left Barry overwhelmed. Her concern was obviously genuine, but it still made no logical sense. "I don't get it. What happened between when we first met and now that you're treating us like a friend?"

Everyone kept asking her that, but how to explain the events that transpired after meeting the Beast? How to convey the look in his eyes when he saw her scars? The admiration, the warmth that rolled off like waves on this monstrous killer?

Shifting weight nervously from foot to foot, Casey decided it was a story for another time. "I guess it sounds weird on the surface, but I do have my reasons. Can I explain later? I don't really feel comfortable being out in the open."

Oh yeah. They were fugitives now. Still, Barry let himself remain warmed by Casey's words. "You're too sweet for this world, Casey Cooke." Reaching for her hand, he led them deeper into the woods.

* * *

Twilight was falling and hunger was setting in, but Barry's relentless optimism kept Casey from flagging. How he could make walking miles in a forest endlessly entertaining was a mystery, but apparently that was Barry for you.

Eventually though, Casey had to break his stream of consciousness to figure out where the hell they were heading. "Barry?"

"What is it, sweetheart?"

"Where are we going?"

Barry stopped walking abruptly, like it had just occurred to him that they were supposed to be finding shelter and not having a leisurely outing in the forest. He rubbed his neck. "Well I'm not gonna lie, this is embarrassing. I didn't really have any place in particular in mind; I was just kinda winging it, yeah?"

Yeah, that sounded about right. Mulling over an option she really didn't want to use, Casey decided they had no choice. "I think…I think I know someplace we could go."

Her downward gaze made it obvious she wasn't thrilled with her idea, and Barry stopped forging ahead so he could look at her closely, concern evident in his eyes. "Wherever this is, you don't look like you wanna be there."

"No, it's nothing like that. I think all the running around today is just catching up to me now."

Barry's eyes softened in understanding. "I feel ya, babygirl. I could do with sleeping a decade or too myself. What was your suggestion then?"

Twisting her hands, which did not go unnoticed by her companion, she began to explain how an old family friend of her father had a few cabin properties scattered around the East Coast, one being relatively nearby in the Poconos. "I know his family is only out there a few weeks during the spring. Unless they've turned it into an Air BNB I think it remains empty most of the year,"she added.

"Poconos, eh?" Barry cracked his neck, thinking it over. "That's still a bit of a hike from here."

"It is. I'm not sure we have many options, though."

"And it's a good one love, but we're not gonna make it there before night falls."

Sighing, Casey shrugged and collapsed to the ground. "That's alright. I spent plenty of nights sleeping outside as a kid."

"Oh yeah? Did ya go camping a lot with your family?"

The memories welled up in Casey unbidden, and she shot Barry a sad smile. "I went hunting with my father and uncle often, yes."

"Oh" Barry mouthed softly to himself, realizing the turn the conversation had taken. He was there for Casey's admittance to Kevin that her uncle hurt her, but he didn't know the specifics, and didn't know if he could handle them anyway. Barry was created to lead and comfort, but he discovered long ago there were just some things you couldn't make better.

"Well," he offered, hoping to change the subject, "We should be far enough from the highway that we won't be easily noticed. Did ya want to try to get some sleep? I realize we don't exactly have the accouterments of the Renaissance here, but ehh..we can make it work."

Noticing for the first time that the only thing Barry wore was his raggedy pants from the hospital, Casey grimaced and indicated his lack of clothing. "I'm not sure that's comfortable camping attire. Not much of a barrier between yourself and all the bugs out here."

Stretching his traps and shoulders to show off his physique, Barry winked at her. "You kidding? I should strip and sleep the way God intended, au naturel!"

The sides of Casey's face felt like they were going to burst into flames and Barry smirked at her horror. "What's wrong? You look like you seen Patricia in a bathing suit. Don't get me wrong, these pants are hideous and the sooner I'm out of them the better, but I wouldn't put ya through that," he grinned.

Casey stammered. "No! I mean, no, it wouldn't be a terrible thing. You have a nice body, I just…not that I've seen everything! I wouldn't mind, but it's not really appropriate…Oh god." She put her face in her hands, mortified, but Barry couldn't stop laughing.

"You really need to relax babygirl, you're making it too fun to mess with ya."

Casey forced her hands to her sides, cheeks still burning, and with a final chuckle Barry sat down at a particularly grassy copse and held his arms out to her. "We can worry about tomorrow after we get some sleep; I'm having trouble keeping my eyes open."

Tentatively Casey sat down and allowed him to embrace her, leaning into his body heat. "You alright sleeping like this?" he asked, chin resting on her head. Casey nodded into his chest, silent. She didn't want to admit that she was nervous at the possibility of waking up next to another alter she didn't recognize, or, god forbid, Patricia.

Reading her mind, Barry squeezed her tighter. "Don't worry about the others. I can't promise Dennis or Hedwig won't show up at some point, but you're ok with that, right?"

Thinking of Hedwig brought a smile to her face, but the idea of waking up next to Dennis made her stomach knot up in a way that was overwhelmingly foreign. She decided not to dwell on it. "Of course, I love seeing Hedwig. And Dennis…Dennis would be fine too. So long as he doesn't try to send me away again."

"I'd never let him, don't you worry your pretty head, baby doll." Barry yawned, lifting his arms to stretch before wrapping them around Casey again. "Try and get some sleep now. I think we've earned it."

Before she could sleep, there was one more person Casey wanted to speak to. "Do you think there's any chance Kevin will come to the light?"

Shifting so he could better see her, Barry paused thoughtfully. "I don't know, I can definitely try. If there's anyone he'd make an attempt for, it would be you."

Smiling, but trying to not look too self-satisfied, Casey grabbed Barry's hand. "Please. I want to see how he is."

For a moment or two, all Barry could do was stare in awe at this young woman whose care and affection they most definitely did not deserve. Then he squeezed her hand in turn. "Give me a few minutes to look for him." Getting Kevin to the light was usually an exercise in futility, but Casey seemed to make it much easier.

Looking inwards, Barry walked the recesses of their consciousness, looking for his progenitor. He found him sleeping, although much closer to the light then usual. It was almost enough to give him some real hope. "Kevin, Casey is here. She's asking for ya," he whispered, gently rubbing his sire's back.

Much to his delight, Kevin stirred immediately, but came to looking distraught. "Casey? Why does she keep coming back?"

"Why don't you ask her yourself?" Barry offered, trying to tempt the other man into action.

He went to help Kevin get to his feet, but he remained in place, shaking his head. "I don't think I can make it. I've been in the light twice recently, it's all too much." He seemed so small and helpless, it broke Barry's heart.

Suddenly, Barry felt another presence and realized the two of them weren't alone. He glanced upwards to see Dennis towering over them, and breathed a sigh of relief; he didn't think he'd be able to coax Kevin up on his own.

"You can make it, I'm here now," Dennis's voice cut through the astral quagmire they resided in, and then came alongside the pair and wrapped an arm around Kevin's back, waiting for Barry to grab his other side. Together, they were able to fight through the darkness and sit Kevin down in front of the light, much to the shock of the other alters. Ian moved to say hello, but Dennis shook his head sternly. "He's come to speak with Casey. Let them be."

Outside of Kevin, Casey waited nervously, and when she felt her companion stir, she backed up to give him a bit of breathing room.

"Casey? Where-" Kevin looked around, shocked at their woodland surroundings. "Where are we? Where's that doctor?"

"We're not at Raven Hill anymore. You're free, Kevin."

Kevin stopped looking about, whipping his head around to stare at her aghast. "What do you mean? Oh god, what if I hurt someone again? Casey, we have to get back to the hospital, I-"

Squeezing his hands, Casey shushed him gently. "You're free of the Beast too, Dennis took him out! He's not going to hurt anyone ever again."

This information seemed to leave Kevin astonished. "What? How?"

Casey realized she didn't actually know all that much about what went down, she had only seen the aftermath. "You'll have to ask Dennis, I suppose. I just wanted you to know…it's going to be ok, Kevin."

A sigh of relief left him, and Kevin sagged back down on the tree trunk they were resting against. "I don't believe for a second things are going to stay this way, but I appreciate you letting me know."

While not a natural pessimist, Casey wasn't sure how to convince him otherwise. She groped around inside her head for the right thing to say, but instead he surprised her by turning to grace her with a lopsided smile. "You really my friend?"

Beaming, Casey nodded at him. "I've never met anyone else that understands…you know. What it's like. To have had a childhood like ours, I mean."

Kevin's smile turned into a frown, but only briefly. "I wouldn't wish that on anyone. But I'm glad I know you, Casey."

Suddenly, his eyes widened, and Casey recognized the telltale signs of him losing the light. She clutched his hand to try to keep him present, but it was no use. Soon it was Barry staring back at her, and he regarded her with a mixture of warmth and sadness. "Sorry babygirl, Dennis and I kept Kevin here for as long as we could."

"Thank you. I know that's not easy for any of you."

Barry hummed thoughtfully. "I know Kevin doesn't feel this way, but the longer he sits in the light, the stronger he gets." He pulled Casey tightly against himself, sighing. "You being here means the world, it makes a big difference. For all of us."

Casey scoffed. "Not to Dennis or the Horde, I'm sure."

"Doll, you let me take care of Dennis, and never mind the Horde. Now can we please get some shut eye? If I don't get some rest soon, I'm gonna get loopy."

"I don't know, loopy Barry sounds like a lot of fun."

Barry chuckled. "You telling me I'm no fun now?" Casey yelped as he squeezed her ribs, but mercifully he settled down quickly, sleep weighing heavily on him. "Seriously, I'm beat. I'm tapping out, alright?"

Casey nodded, relaxing into her friend. Despite the bumpy ground and tree bark digging into her back, she found her body's need for sleep outweighed its need for comfort, and soon the two were fast asleep.


	5. Mr Dennis's Wild Ride

Roughing it in the woods could now be crossed off of Barry's bucket list. Never again. There was a cramp in his right shoulder the size of a small animal, and his neck was stiff as hell. He couldn't even get up to stretch as Casey was still sleeping peacefully against him. Her breath was coming out in small puffs visible in the early morning air, and despite the pain Barry couldn't help but smile. She clearly was used to this whole "outdoor" thing.

Unable to move, he spent the next hour or two falling in and out of consciousness, trying to plan out the day when he wasn't dozing. He wasn't sure exactly where they were, but they had to be near the outskirts of the city, there was certainly enough traffic nearby to indicate so. The Poconos was nearly a two hour drive from Philadelphia, and going by foot would surely take longer than a day; he had no inclination of putting Casey through that.

He mulled over the idea of backtracking into the city and seeing if he could sneak into their old apartment. All his credit cards would have been deactivated by now, but Dennis always had cash hidden away in case of emergencies. Although it was a possibility that authorities had seized it all; Barry wasn't quite sure what happened when cops tore through a suspect's house. Becoming a serial killer had never been on his list of things to do, so he had never looked into the matter.

The absurdity of his thoughts made him bark out a bitter laugh, but then the reality of their situation crashed down on him again. He had tried so, so hard to give them a normal life, where had he gone wrong? He thought back to all of those werewolf movies some of the other alters loved watching. Is this what those characters felt like? Waking up one day to realize that something inside them had done something so awful, so horrible, it was impossible to live with?

Tears were beginning to well up in his eyes, and it took everything inside of him to calm himself down. He didn't want to be getting all weepy on Casey; she needed him to be strong. He couldn't fail her again.

Suddenly he felt a presence standing near the light, and instinctively knew it was Dennis. None of the others held the aura of power that radiated off of him.

"We need to talk."

"Well good morning to you too, Dennis."

"Is Casey alright?"

Good lord, this man could be infuriating. "No, sorry, she's gone. I forgot to keep an eye on her, and one of the Appalachian Mountain People grabbed her. It was pretty upsetting, actually. Sorry I forgot to tell ya."

Barry could feel Dennis fuming beneath the surface, and it took every ounce of willpower he had not to break out into a grin.

"You're not as funny as you think you are."

"And you're not as intimidating as you think you are." He shifted to pull away an errant piece of tree bark that had been digging into his side, tossing it with distaste over his shoulder. "So what did ya wanna talk about?"

It took a moment for Dennis to respond, and Barry was beginning to think the other man had left.

"I wanted to explain to you what I'd like to do, once we figure out where to go from here."

The nerve of this guy. Barry rolled his eyes."Oh man, this should be good. Thanks to your previous plans, we're now a wanted murderer on the run with no money, no job, and no home. Really, I'm just dying to know where Mr. Dennis's Wild Ride takes us next."

He regretted the words as soon as they left him; it wasn't fair to needle at Dennis when he was already filled with remorse, especially after he had shared such an intimate and wounded part of himself. He had taken responsibility for his actions, guilting him further held no benefit for either of them.

Strangely, Dennis acted like he hadn't even heard. He was back to being their unflinching rock. "Mr. Glass was insane-"

"You can say that again. He was like, Patricia-level nuts."

"Right. But a lot of what he said made sense. About people like us being the basis for all the old legends of heroes and monsters. We're like the real world Batman or somethun'."

"Yeah, but Batman has money."

"Barry-"

"And a bitchin' car."

"I don't see what -"

"And friends."

"Why? Why do I even bother trying to talk to you? I'd get more accomplished discussing things with Hedwig, or…or his mouse."

"Oh man, whatever happened to Mr. FluffyMan when the cops ransacked our place? I hope he's alright."

"He lived underneath a zoo, in a massive city! I'm. sure. he's. fine." Dennis was gritting his teeth now.

Casey was beginning to stir next to them, sobering Barry pretty quickly. It was fun to rag on Dennis and all, but deep down he hoped he had a plan for getting them back to somewhat normalcy. "Ok, I'm sorry, I'm done playing. So say we're like Batman, so what?"

"So we do like Batman does. We have power, and I have a mess as long as the damn state of Pennsylvania to clean up."

A chill began to creep down Barry's spine. This wasn't what it sounded like, was it? "You can't be serious."

"I'm always serious."

"What? No! That is the exact opposite of doing normal people things, I have had enough comic book bullshit to last me a lifetime!"

"All those girls lives, sacrificed for nothing. I want so badly to bring them back."

Barry nervously started picking at a patch of skin on his chest, an old habit left over from childhood. "I don't recall necromancy being part of our skill set, so I don't know what to tell ya." Again he felt bad about the levity, but frankly the whole thing was so absurd he didn't know how to react.

"Obviously. But maybe I can stop other families from feeling the same pain that the Horde…that I inflicted onto them."

"And how would you do that? Go out looking for trouble? Put yourself at the business end of a gun night after night? Risk exposing us?"

"I have to do this."

Barry began breathing slowly through his nose, attempting to stay calm. "You don't HAVE to do this; you are choosing to do this in an effort to make yourself feel better. Not to mention that you're putting the rest of us at risk, those of us that wanted nothing to do with your weird little murder cult!"

His shouting finally woke Casey up, and she looked up at him through bleary eyes, confused, before she remembered where she was. "What's with all the yelling? Are we ok?" A distressing thought occurred to her, and she simultaneously pressed herself deeper into Barry while looking around wildly. "Did the cops find us?"

"Nah, we're good babygirl, I'm sorry I woke you," Barry smiled down at her, pulling her tighter into himself. "Did ya sleep alright?"

She sighed into the embrace. "Better than most nights. No horrible uncles or cramped foster homes to deal with."

"Nah, just my dumb ass," Barry teased, reaching over to tickle her before dark thoughts of her uncle could pollute her mind any further.

"Oh my god, Barry, please stop! It's too early for this!" Casey begged, trying desperately to worm her way out of his embrace.

He didn't let her go immediately, her laughter warming him, and he could feel Dennis looking out at them with some amusement. "We'll finish talking later," the eldest alter promised, receding back into the deepest parts of Kevin so that Barry could concentrate on their more immediate needs-food and shelter.

"Oh good, now he's doing the whole 'mysterious vanishing' thing. That will be perfect for our vigilante act," Barry mumbled crossly to himself, releasing his grip on Casey's sides.

"Huh?" she blinked at him with sleep still in her eyes, and he shook his head while getting to his feet.

"Don't worry about it, just something Dennis and I were talking about before you woke up."

"Oh."

Barry didn't feel like discussing Dennis or his dumb ideas any further. He decided to change the subject. "You must be starving."

Casey regarded him carefully. "You're not?"

"Oh god yes, I could clean out a Wawa right about now." At the thought of food, his stomach rumbled in agreement.

"Well, if we're close to a highway, there has got to be some rest stops around. I don't think I can afford a whole store, but I can definitely get us some food," Casey smirked.

"I might be able to figure out where we are. Hold on a sec." Barry stilled for a moment, closing his eyes, only to open them a few minutes later. Only now they were black and cold, like a Great White's. The Beast had emerged.

Casey jumped back in surprise and ended up stumbling over a tree root, falling backwards. Those cold eyes looked at her with concern, and Barry walked over to help her up. "I'm sorry, I should have warned ya. I don't know if you noticed yesterday, but we've gained control over the Beast."

She had been wondering why Dennis looked so similar to the Beast, but forgot all about it up until that point. Reaching up to gently touch his face, she gazed into his eyes, in wonder. "That's amazing. How did you do manage to do that?"

Barry grinned, which looked surreal in contrast to the black void that was his eyes. "I'm not entirely sure. Before we escaped, Dennis and I had to come up with an idea to defeat the Beast, and we theorized that making him dependent on us may bring him to heel. Dennis blinded him somehow, and ta-daa! Here we are." Barry stretched out his arms like he was introducing a new exhibit at the zoo. "We get to use his powers, and he gets to share the light with us."

A sad groan punctuated Barry's words, and Casey realized the Beast was also present with them. Just…tamer, more submissive.

"Hello Beast." She kept her hand on his cheek. "Thank you for carrying us to safety yesterday."

The Beast leaned into the touch of her hand, and turned to lick her palm. "Hello, my beloved broken one."

"Oh gross, none of that!" Barry reared back, sticking his tongue out in disgust. "Sorry, we're still trying to figure all of this out."

Casey had to stifle a laugh. "Yeah, you'll probably want to get all the kinks worked out before we go food shopping."

"Nuh uh, Beastie is only here temporarily. We're going to figure out where the hell we are and sniff out some grub. Now, if you'll excuse me." With that, Barry launched himself up the nearest oak tree, clawing up the bark like he was a giant house cat.

"Can you see anything?" Casey called up the trunk, leaves obscuring him from her vision.

"Yeah. Looks like we're right next to I-476. Norristown should only be a few miles walk from here." Without warning he came crashing down, startling the hell out of Casey.

"You guys really have to stop doing that," Casey panted, putting a hand up to her chest in an effort to calm her racing heart.

"Sorry doll, the Beast likes to show off I think."

The Beast sniffed. "I move as I was created to move. It is not my fault that without me your frail body would explode from a mere 40 foot drop."

"Yeah yeah, very nice," Barry waved his hands dismissively. "What do ya think Beast, can we make it over to Norristown before wasting away from hunger?"

"Hrmph. You may waste away. I can go days without food," the Beast rumbled, obviously unimpressed with Barry.

"Ok great! Let's go then," Barry announced, bending down so that Casey could climb onto him easily. He turned to look over his left shoulder, waggling his eyebrows. "Are ya glad I've refrained from making jokes about you mounting me?"

Casey sighed into his back. "I mean, I would have been. Now do I not only feel silly, I'm self-conscious too."

A laugh tumbled out of Barry, and before she knew it they were flying across the forest floor. She had gone horseback riding on and off since her childhood, and the sensation was similar, the feeling of going so fast, for so long, that it almost felt like flying. But much sooner than she had expected, they came to an abrupt halt.

Barry let Casey climb off of him before he scurried up the nearest tree, and hummed with pleasure. "Yep, there's a Sheetz and a Target right off the next exit here." He climbed back down, much slower this time so as not to startle Casey, and then wiped his hands on his pants once he reached the bottom. "I'm going to take ya to the off ramp and that is far as I can go babygirl. Are you ok to run inside without me?"

Casey looked down at her clothing. "I mean, I look a mess, but I'll manage."

Barry wrinkled his nose. "We could probably both do with a hot shower, but at least you don't look like a half-naked feral man. I'm afraid I would draw more attention than we can afford."

"Don't lie Barry, you'd like it. I can tell already, you live for attention." She had to dodge an acorn he chucked at her, and ran behind a tree trunk, giggling. "Ok fine, I surrender! You're a very shy person and you hate being in the spotlight. I'll go in by myself."

Barry affectionately rolled his eyes and relented, instead escorting her as close as he dared to the nearby shopping center.

The plan was for Casey to pick up enough food to last a few days, and a change of clothing for each of them. He knew it would take her a while, but his nerves were getting the best of him. Despite concealing himself in the leaves of a nearby tree, he felt like he was ready to jump out of his skin at every police car or ambulance he saw fly by.

Finally he saw her emerge from Target with a backpack full of food and a few plastic bags. He bounced a foot impatiently against the branch he was reclining on, trying to calm his nerves.

"Coward," the Beast growled at him, displeased with his discomfort. "Let the police come, we will tear them to shreds!"

"No more tearing people to shreds," Barry mumbled, hoping against hope that Dennis's control over the violent alter would last. "You've put us in quite a predicament Beast, I hope ya realize that."

"WHY DO YOU DEFEND THE IMPURE?!" the Beast howled, and Barry nearly fell out of the tree in surprise. He was being so loud he could see Casey looking toward them in concern, and a few other passersby glancing around to see where the noise had come from.

"For god's sake, keep it down!" Barry scolded; frantically looking about to make sure they weren't spotted. "I swear to god I will kick your ass out of the light so fast, I don't even care that we're stuck in a tree. I'll jump without you."

"I'd like to see you try it, weakling." The Beast was calling his bluff.

Barry huffed. "Ok, I'd make Dennis do it. But still."

"Hmmph."

"Could you two be any louder?" Casey called out from the bottom of the trunk, trying to remain inconspicuous. She didn't need anyone coming over to see why she was talking to a tree.

Barry peered down at her, mischievous grin on his face. "Hey doll, have fun shopping? Wanna drag that all on up here?"

"What I want is to call a Lyft and find a motel where I can get a hot shower. I feel disgusting."

"But you look fantastic."

Casey put her hands on her hips in mock annoyance, but blushed regardless. "If you're done messing around, I'd like you to get changed so we can find a room and then rejoin civilization."

This gave Barry pause. "I'm not sure that's such a good idea babygirl. I'm sure the police are still on high alert for us. We might be able to swing a car ride to the Poconos, but a motel?"

Casey held up an Eagles cap and some cheap sunglasses. "Just put these on. So long as we can go a few hours without you cannibalizing anyone, I think you could pass as normal. Besides, if your appearance doesn't alarm anyone, your smell will."

"Har har," Barry deadpanned, climbing down the tree and swiping the bags from her hand.

He tried not to make faces as he examined the clothing, a pair of sweatpants and a hoodie. Target definitely was not up to his usual standards, but it wasn't like he had much of a choice. At the very least, it would be comfortable.

Casey pulled a phone from out of her back pocket and Barry raised an eyebrow at her. "You've had a phone this entire time?"

Shrugging, she powered it up. "Well yeah, I figured it would come in handy. I mean, it doesn't have a lot of charge left, but it will be enough to find us a room and call a Lyft."

"Clever girl," the Beast grinned at her, causing Casey to involuntarily shiver, which didn't go unnoticed by Barry.

"Alright Beast, thanks for the help. I'll be handling things from here," Barry ordered. Casey half expected a struggle between the two to break out, but to her surprise, the Beast just inclined his head in submission and blinked out of the light.

"I'm not sure I'll ever get used to that," Casey admitted, nervously scratching her arm.

"Nah honey, you're good. I won't let that brute ever threaten ya again, you can count on it." Barry put a hand on her shoulder reassuringly, and she let him hold her against his chest as she called for a Lyft.

"Best put your shirt on; they're meeting us out in front of Target," Casey announced, now currently browsing her phone for the nearest cheap motel.

Barry hesitated. "How are ya paying for all of this? Not gonna lie, I'm feeling super ungentlemanly here. If we could somehow get access to my bank account without alerting the cops, this would all be way easier."

Casey just smiled shyly. "Don't worry about it, Barry. What are friends for?"

Friends. Barry had not heard that word in a long time, not in relation to himself at least. Overwhelmed with emotion, he just offered Casey his arm as they walked off to catch their ride.


	6. Raising the White Flag

The motel was a whole lot less sketchy than Barry had feared it would be. And despite his anxiety that he would be recognized ("calm down, the stress vibes are flying off of you," Casey had told him), the young man at the front desk barely even looked at them as they checked in, too invested in his mobile game.

The room was sparse, but clean, and all they really needed was access to hot water and an outlet. So long as Dennis didn't emerge and freak out about the bed sheets or something, this would do nicely.

Barry collapsed onto his bed as Casey took a shower and he immediately fell asleep, the exertion of the day's running and climbing overtaking him. By the time he woke up, the sun had begun setting, and stomach pangs indicated to him that it had been too long between meals. He and Casey had shared some protein bars and fruit on the ride over to the motel, but he was ready for some serious food.

Looking around, he realized Casey wasn't in the room, and involuntary panic began to set in before he noticed a note lying on the desk next to his bed.

Just ran out to grab some takeout from across the street. Be back in a bit!

Barry wasn't sure how long she had been gone, but he would give her another half an hour before he started to get nervous. It also gave him time to take a shower.

He spent more time than usual washing, taking great pleasure in the feeling of hot water pound away at his cramped and sore muscles. It seemed like dirt was everywhere, and he soaped himself up three separate times before finally feeling clean enough. "God, I hope I'm not turning into Dennis," he mumbled, turning off the water and toweling dry.

Between the nap and shower, the day's stress had melted away, and when he heard Casey call out through the bathroom door that she was back with food, Barry didn't think the day could get any more perfect. Quickly he threw on his sweats and raced out to meet her, hoping she had brought enough food to curb his appetite.

To his great joy, there was a veritable feast waiting for him when he stepped outside the bathroom. Pizza, hamburgers, hoagies, and even some Chinese food was laid out on the table. He looked to Casey, a bit surprised, and she shrugged. "I didn't really know what you were in the mood for, so I got a little of everything."

"You're too good to us," Barry sighed, tearing into a box of pizza. "Speaking of which, would ya mind if some of the others came out to say hello? I've half a mind to keep all this deliciousness to myself, but I've been hogging the light recently."

Casey was about to voice her consent, then Barry noticed a frown appear on her face. He lowered his slice of pizza, concerned. "What wrong?"

"The Horde, are they going to try...?" she trailed off, unsure of what she was asking exactly. She wasn't completely clear on who was the enemy, or if there even was still a division inside of Kevin.

Barry shook his head vehemently. "The Horde was dismantled when Dennis switched sides and defeated the Beast. They're certainly still a part of us, but they're no danger to you. I doubt they'd even come out, probably still licking their wounds." He shrugged. "They'll come around, eventually. Besides," he looked at her pointedly, eyes shining playfully, "there's someone here who really, really wants to say hello, and he's been very patient so far."

Casey broke out into a grin. "Hedwig?" she guessed, and before she could react the boy appeared in the light and bounded across the length of the table to tackle her in a hug.

"Casey! I missed you so much!"

Laughing, Casey returned his embrace. "I missed you too. How are you doing?"

The boy shrugged noncommittally, looking around at his new surroundings. "I kinda miss the place where they keep all of the comic book characters, but at least you're here now. Hey, is this our new house?"

Casey stifled another laugh. "No, this is just temporary until we can figure out where we go from here."

Hedwig hopped up onto one of the beds in glee. "So you're staying, etcetera? You're not leaving us again?"

She didn't even have to think about the answer. "No, I'm not leaving you. I'm staying as long as you all want me to."

"Yes!" Hedwig began jumping on the bed in earnest, and Casey had to quickly settle him down before one of the neighbors started banging on their door to quiet them.

"Hey buddy, let's save the bouncing for the daytime, ok?"

He suddenly stilled, and Casey watched as youthful enthusiasm gave way to dignified poise. She was half expecting Patricia, and moved to protect herself, but whoever it was that took the light broke into a warm smile when they saw her. "Casey, I'm so pleased to see you again!"

"Orwell," she breathed in relief.

He reached out to gently clasp her hands. "How are you feeling, my dear? You weren't hurt back at Raven Hill, were you?"

"No, I think you occupied the police beautifully. They didn't even look my way."

The older alter looked pleased. "Wonderful!"

They chatted briefly, and then alter after alter cycled through to properly greet the woman who helped them escape their prison. When Jade showed up, Casey prepared herself for an altercation, but the other woman pretended like she didn't even know what Casey was on about when she tentatively asked her about her alliance with the Beast.

"Girl, don't remind me what a dumbass I can be sometimes. When I saw the Beast was real I figured Patricia was telling the truth about everything else, but Barry eventually set me straight. I broke his fucking heart when I joined the Horde, and I feel just awful about it all. Do you forgive me?"

This was a nice surprise. Would it be that easy to make peace with all of the identities?

"Of course I forgive you, Jade. I'm glad you came to see me, it will be nice to have another woman around to talk to."

Jade looked stunned at the admission, finally understanding that Casey viewed all of the alters as their own separate people. She had no smartass remarks, just hugged the other woman before she disappeared.

Once she blinked out of the light, the sparkle in Kevin's eyes indicated that Barry was in control once again. "How's it going babygirl, ya need a break from the carousel? I know this can be a bit much for people."

Casey sighed, but she was content. "It's nice to catch up with everyone, honestly." She picked up a box of noodles, all of that talking getting her hungry again. "Did you hear Hedwig ask if this was our new house? He cracks me up sometimes."

Barry flipped a chair around and sat down, arms resting on the sheaf. "So what did ya tell him?"

The question caught Casey by surprise. "I told him we hadn't figured out where our new place would be. Was that the wrong thing to say?"

Biting his lower lip, Barry looked her straight in the eyes. "Is that really what you want? To stay with us?"

"I…." Casey set her gaze downwards, suddenly feeling put on the spot. "I mean, if that's ok with you?"

"Ok with me? Hon, you're the best thing that's ever happened to us, of course it's ok! Honestly I think you're wack, wanting to deal with our nonsense, but then again, who am I to talk?" Barry laughed, and the sound was warm and went right to her toes.

Absolutely not.

Dennis's dissent came down like a bucket of ice water, quickly turning Barry's mood sour. He walked to the other side of the room, ready to chew out the other alter. "She's coming with us, Dennis," he insisted. "Now quiet, you're making me tight."

Dennis did not take this news well, despite predicting this was how events would play out. He pushed his way partly into the light, trying to intimidate Barry. "Was I not clear when I told the both of you 'no'? This isn't a democracy."

"Actually, that's exactly what this is. I don't remember Kevin dying and making you king."

Dennis sat back in his chair, glowering. "No, he never made me king. He did make me the guardian though, and I say the girl can't stay. We're going to be putting her in harm's way, and I've already given her more than enough of that for a lifetime."

"You know I can hear you two, right?" Casey called out from her bed, exasperated.

Moving back over to Casey, Barry collapsed down beside her, throwing an arm over her shoulder. "Sorry doll, we're not used to being around other people outside of work. This is kind of new for us. We don't mean to be rude."

Casey looked into his cerulean eyes, searching for the hard visage of Dennis amongst the sparkle. "I appreciate you being worried about me Dennis, but I'm a big girl now. I don't want to leave."

Watching Barry's smile morph into Dennis's stern frown was fascinating, and a little unnerving, and she scooted a few inches away to give him space. He regarded her with stony silence, and not a little irritation, before folding his arms. "Why?"

Looking down, suddenly feeling vulnerable, Casey started playing with the hem of her shirt. "I don't have family anymore, not including my uncle, I mean." The mention of Casey's uncle made Dennis's eyes flame, but he didn't interrupt. "To be perfectly honest, there's not much tying me down to Philadelphia. Kevin…you and the others…you're the only real friends I've had in ages."

There it was, the "friendship" angle. Dennis knew it was coming, and he had no defense against it. He knew it wasn't an attempt at manipulation, but he still resented her for the way it made him feel. He was already stretched so thin, he didn't think he had it in him to allow someone else to breech their walls. It was Barry's job to feel for them, but Casey didn't just want Barry, she wanted all of them. That was a danger to their very existence.

Maybe if he were honest, she would have mercy on him and give up on this ridiculous idea. "I revealed myself to Dr. Fletcher, and worrying about us is what got her killed. I put her in danger, and it's my fault she's dead. I'm not a good person Casey."

Casey reached for his hand, and he let her. God, why did he let her? He'd gotten so weak since she first came to see them at Raven Hill.

"What do you think is going to happen to me? The Beast likes me, doesn't he?"

"It's not just the Beast we have to worry about now. Half this country is probably looking for Kevin, we are a wanted murderer. You know what aiding and abetting is, don't you?"

Casey rolled her eyes. "I'm not helping you kill anyone."

"No. But don't think for a second the authorities will care."

"Well, I don't care what the police think. They didn't care about the years of torture Uncle John put me through. The only person since my father's death that has looked at me like I was an actual person was the Beast. He…he told me to rejoice, that I was worthy. Is it only the Beast that feels that way? Do you not like me?"

No, no mercy here. She was going to make this as awkward and horrible as possible. He ran his free hand over his head; she had gotten under his skin. Damn Barry and his dumb, blasé face, he should be the one here talking sense into Casey, not him. If only Barry weren't being selfish and considered her well-being instead of his own desires.

Dennis removed his hand from Casey's grasp, could see the hurt in her eyes, but he didn't have a choice. He felt too damn defenseless; he couldn't keep having this conversation while feeling the warmth of her skin against him. He would break. "I like you a lot, Casey. That's why you can't stay. I'm trying to put your safety ahead of my own feelings, unlike the others. I heard Barry tell you about our earlier conversation on the ride over here, you know my plans. I'm putting Kevin at risk enough as it is, I don't want to be responsible for you too. I would never stop worrying."

Seeing his chance, Barry piped up from his chair.That's the deal then, Dennis. We go along with your little crusade until it's all out of your system, and Casey stays.

"No."

I wasn't asking. It's called 'compromise', and I'll have you know most of the others agree with me. We all want Casey to come with .

Dennis closed his eyes in irritation. He knew Patricia, if she would even deign to speak with him, would agree, not to mention some of the other older, more responsible alters. But Casey had gotten her hooks deep into Kevin, and most everyone adored her. If he wanted to be allowed to utilize the Beast, he would need the others on board. He needed to be on their good side, and was currently a single fuck up away from being on the shit list again. He had no room to bargain, and Barry knew it.

"Fin-"

Before he could even finish, Hedwig came roaring out into the light, knocking Dennis back into his chair. "Yay! Mr. Dennis says you can stay now!" he jumped on Casey and they fell off of the bed, Hedwig never quite appreciating that he was in a grown man's body. Casey laughed despite being crushed under the boy, his joy was contagious.

For fuck's sake Hedwig, get up before you suffocate her! Jade snapped, but she was pleased too. Most all of the alters were delighted, some more secretly than others, but for the first time in a long time, the personalities inside Kevin were unified.

As Hedwig and Casey celebrated in the light, Barry clapped an irritated Dennis on the shoulder. "I knew you'd see it my way. Now that we settled that, can we get going where we need to be?"

"You obviously don't want my opinion on anything, do what you like," Dennis grumbled.

"Now now, don't be like that, Princess. I know this is what you wanted."

"I wanted to do the right thing. If she gets hurt, this is all on you Barry."

If he rolled his eyes any harder, Barry would have given himself a headache. "What is it with you being so fixated on her being hurt? What do ya think is possibly going to happen to her?"

There was no point in Dennis explaining it to Barry, he would never understand. He wasn't the one that went to that train station that homed so many ghosts, removed his shirt, folded it and set it reverently down on the old dilapidated seats. Barry wasn't the one that willingly passed the light on to a god of suffering that would go on to possess them, drive them, have them carve out a scar of agony across Philadelphia. There were endless tears and blood on Dennis's hands, and bleach couldn't ever touch the stain. He knew, he had tried many times. Dennis had brought Kevin full circle: he was now a ruiner, an abuser, a monster. He was Penelope fuckin' Crumb. Dennis was their downfall, and if they weren't careful, he would be Casey's too.

"I've said everything I could possibly say about the situation, I'm done," Dennis brooded, crossing his arms. "So, valiant leader, what next?"

Scowling, Barry was about to snap back, but decided the ensuing fight wouldn't be worth it. "Casey knows a place. Out in the Poconos. Said it remains empty most of the year. I figure we can hole up there until we get our bearings."

Dennis hated it. Cleaning up an uninhabited cabin would be a massive pain, and winter was fast approaching. Being snowed in with no food and no running water could be a very real possibility, and now they had Casey to worry about as well.

Barry could tell that Dennis wasn't happy. "Do ya have a better idea?"

No, he didn't have a better idea. Between fighting the Beast and escaping Raven Hill, Dennis's mind had been occupied with other things, like trying to keep them both alive and sane. His silence was enough of an answer.

That was approval enough for Barry. "Well, we agree then. We get some sleep, and then we head north."

Dennis groaned. He was looking forward to a good night's rest, but now he had to make contingency plans for living out of a cabin. The list of things they needed would be massive, and money would be tight until he could access his emergency bank account, made under his own name. He had gone through great lengths to repurpose his father's-well, Kevin's father's-social security number as his own. Living in a city as big as Philadelphia, you could find people to do all sorts of things for you, for the right price. And Dennis went to any length to make sure that they would be taken care of in any situation. There was also the fact he had every intention of paying Casey back for the money she had spent on them thus far. He wasn't going to start his new life by taking money from the woman he had victimized.

Before he got started though, there was one more thing he had to do.

He blinked into the light, only to see that Hedwig and Casey were curled up on one of the beds, watching cartoons. As calmly as possible he disentangled himself from Casey's arms, causing her to look at her companion in confusion until she recognized the telltale furrow of his eyebrows. "Dennis?"

"Casey." He was barely looking at her; he was too preoccupied investigating the shoddy motel sheets they were lying on and trying not to have a panic attack. "This place is disgusting."

Casey looked at the spot on the sheet he was staring at, trying to see what he saw. It appeared perfectly fine to her, but she wasn't foolish enough to tell him that. "Yeah, Barry wasn't sure how you would feel about all this; he thought it best if one of the others spent the night here."

Now Dennis turned to quirk an eyebrow at her, slightly annoyed. "Barry thinks I'm that fragile?"

"No, not at all!" Casey protested, afraid she would start another argument. "He was just thinking about what would make you most comfortable. There's no shame in having…you know, your preferences."

Dennis sighed, standing up. "Compulsions aren't preferences Casey, but it's kind of you to be understanding. I'm going to take a shower."

"But Barry already-"

"I'm going to take a shower," he repeated, not wanting to have to explain himself further. "Check out time is at eleven in the morning; please make sure you have an alarm set. Knowing Hedwig, he's going to try to steal the light when I fall asleep, so I might not be around to make sure we get up in time."

Casey nodded, and with faint acknowledgement on his end, Dennis stepped into the bathroom.

Casey reached over to the nightstand and turned off the lamp, getting under the covers and curling up on the warm spot Hedwig had been occupying. Secretly she hoped the boy would take the light from Dennis. Although she was used to sleeping alone, having him or Barry nearby would make it easier to keep dark thoughts from clouding her mind before she fell into unconsciousness. And dark thoughts usually led to nightmares. She was too afraid to tell Barry that their new roommate had some night terror issues, and didn't want Dennis to be the one to find out.

She heard the water turn on, and as she drifted off to sleep, she tried not to imagine Dennis undressing and getting into the shower. She tried not to imagine the steam rising around him as he slowly soaped himself up, tried not to imagine the hard outlines of his body shining and wet. Tried not to imagine...

Good GOD, what was she doing? She relaxed her thighs, not realizing that she had them pressed so tightly together, and breathed deeply, trying to make the hot flow of her blood run cool.

* * *

It couldn't have been more than a few hours after falling asleep that Casey was urgently shaken out of slumber.

Opening her eyes, she saw Dennis standing over her and for a moment thought she was dreaming, a carryover from her hypnagogic fantasies.

Unfortunately if it was a dream, it didn't seem to be of the sexy variety. His mouth was pursed, and she could tell he was upset. That jolted all the sleep from her body. "Dennis? What's wrong?"

Stepping back from the bed, he ran his hand over his head. "You've had a phone this entire time?"

"I...yes?" He woke her up for this?

Pinching the bridge of his nose, she could tell he was trying to calm himself. "Why? You realize we're trying NOT to be found, correct?"

Understanding finally dawned on her, and she unconsciously burrowed deeper into the covers, as though they would keep her safe from the consequences of her misstep. "I haven't been keeping it on though. Only to get a ride, I swear!"

"That won't stop the police, Casey. And if it does stop the police, it sure as hell wouldn't stop the FBI."

In the midst of all the excitement, Casey hadn't even considered that might be a possibility. "I'm so sorry Dennis; I'm already screwing this up for you."

The anger instantly deflated from him. He owed her so much that by this point he didn't think he'd ever have the right to be angry with her. The hard lines on his face softened a bit. "And I'm sorry, but I had to get rid of it. Spent the past forty minutes running around town before dropping it in the absolute dirtiest Walmart I have ever had the misfortune of stepping foot in."

The idea of a horrified Dennis stuck in a Walmart struck Casey as hilarious. "How many Walmarts have you been in?"

Gathering up the scant few items they had with them, Dennis paused to think. "Well, just that one. And never again, do you hear me?" He legitimately looked a bit traumatized, and Casey had to bite down on her lip hard so that she wouldn't laugh out loud.

Opening the front door, Dennis took a quick peak outside before motioning to Casey. "Come on, grab your shoes and let's go. We can't stay here any longer. You paid for everything in cash, right?"

Nodding her head, Casey followed after him, turning out the lights. And when he instinctively reached out to grab her hand, just in case there was some sort of police ambush waiting for them outside, she tried to force herself to breath.

And when the coast was deemed clear, and he still kept his much larger hand wrapped over hers? It was just because he was preoccupied with their escape and wasn't thinking straight.

Right?


	7. The Priestess

The road to their destination was exhausting. Dennis insisted on taking a taxi further north to Scranton so they could double back on foot to the Poconos. "We can't give the cops a direct route to follow", he had said. Casey couldn't help but think back to the old Family Circus cartoons she used to read with her father as a child, where Billy would meander through a map taking the longest, most convoluted route possible. This fugitive thing was not nearly as glamours as movies made it out to be.

To add to that, traveling with Dennis was a harrowing experience. For the first forty minutes or so during the ride, he looked nowhere other than out the window, on high alert for any sign that they were being followed. Just watching him made her skin prickle, like he expected them to drive into an ambush at any second. Their cab driver gave up trying to get him to talk ten minutes into the ride;he just sat there rigidly, arms crossed and eyes glued to the window. Casey awkwardly tried to smooth things over, carrying on with her own half of the conversation, but it was clear that the cabbie was already intimidated into silence.

They drove in relative quiet for a while until Dennis shifted to glance at Casey. He was wearing sunglasses, and she hadn't even noticed he was looking at her until he cleared his throat.

She looked up, startled. "What is it?"

"We're almost there. You ever been here before?"

Casey glanced out of the window. The highway was giving way to drab city streets, and she studied the rundown buildings in disappointment. "No, this is my first time. Also, this looks nothing like The Office."

Dennis frowned. "What office?"

Casey pretended to be shocked, although she understood by this point that Dennis probably wasn't much of a television consumer. "The Office? Steve Carell? Probably one of the best tv shows in the past decade?"

His face remained blank.

She rolled her eyes. "The show is set here, in Scranton."

"This sounds more like a Jade or a Luke thing, sorry. I'm afraid I'm hopeless when it comes to tv references. At least, that's what the others tell me." He adjusted his sunglasses, and while she couldn't see his eyes, she could tell he was disappointed he couldn't really add to the conversation.

A few minutes later the cab pulled over to the side of the road, indicating that the journey was over. Dennis motioned for Casey to exit the car while he spoke with the driver. She obeyed and watched through the window as he handed the other man the money that was owed, and what she assumed would be a generous tip. They wanted to be on the good side of anyone they came across, less reason for them to stand out in someone's mind.

When the taxi pulled away, Dennis walked over to join Casey on the curb. "Let's see about finding some food and a map."

They began walking in comfortable silence, and Casey couldn't help but look around every which way. Maybe it was because the day was overcast, but the city was majorly depressing. Mom and pop stores that looked like they had seen better days were spread out between fast food restaurants, and running parallel to them across the street were old train tracks. Yeah, The Office this was not.

Suddenly she bumped up against Dennis, not realizing that he had stopped in front of a McDonalds. He turned around briefly to make sure she was alright, then inclined his head towards the fast food building. "This alright? I honestly have no idea what you like to eat."

Chewing on her inner lip, Casey sighed. She had had more than her fair share of fast food growing up with her Uncle John, it wasn't like he could be assed to feed her a proper meal. While she still found the food palatable, it certainly wasn't something she enjoyed. "Yeah, this is fine. You want anything?"

Eyeing the building with distaste, Dennis was about to decline until Casey reminded him they still had a long journey ahead of them. He sighed. "I'll take whatever you're having. Please."

After coming back outside with the food, they ate in silence, enjoying the peace of the relatively empty streets. Peaceful for Casey, that was. Dennis spent most of the meal trying to convince Hedwig to stay in his chair and no, he couldn't go play in the ball pit, he'd make a giant scene.

Once they were finished, Casey got up and stretched. "So what exactly was the plan? Are we actually walking all the way back south?"

Dennis flexed his upper back, as if to indicate the emergence of the Beast. "So to speak. There's a bunch of State Parks and Gamelands between this area and the Poconos, it will be easier to move unseen among the trees."

One map later, and they were on their way.

* * *

The second half of the journey was relatively uneventful. Casey insisted on walking for herself, she wanted to avoid the Beast's presence for as long as possible. After the first hour, Dennis grew impatient with their slow progress and insisted on taking them the rest of the way. While the Beast couldn't hope to compete with the speed of a car, he came pretty damn close. With the help the map and few breaks, Casey led them to her childhood getaway cabin within a few hours.

Dennis slipped out of the light, exhausted from keeping a handle on the Beast for so long, and Barry took his place easily. Getting a good look at the property, he let out a low whistle. "Baby girl, this ain't a cabin, this is a freakin' lodge. Dennis is going to have a conniption fit trying to keep it all in order."

Casey cringed, but Barry laughed it off, nudging her good naturedly with his arm. "I kid, it's absolutely gorgeous! Just how rich is this guy exactly?"

"I really don't know. Like I said, he owns different vacation properties up and down the east coast. He's some kind of CFO or something."

Marching up to the front door as if he already owned the place, Barry peaked inside the glass pane. "Aw shit." He rested his forehead against the door and chuckled. "Well, the good news is that this place has power. The bad news is that this guy isn't dumb enough to leave his bougie cabin unprotected."

Casey moved to the window to see what he was talking about. Sure enough, the telltale sensor and control panel were on the other side of the door. She groaned. "I should have known better."

"Hmmm.." Barry looked around thoughtfully, clearly not fazed at all by this latest development. Casey wasn't sure if it was just his trademark optimism or if he really did have an idea. "This place have a basement, doll?"

"I think so." Casey waved for him to follow her and they trekked around to the other side of the house, passing a screened pool enclosure and hot tub on the way over.

Barry's eyes widened and he stared wistfully at the drained pool. "Too bad it's empty, I know what I'd be spending all my free time doing!"

Casey grinned. "Focus Barry. What's the gameplan?"

"Oh yeah." He sauntered over to the cellar doors situated next to the porch. The handles were shackled together with heavy chains and padlocked for extra security. "Now I don't have x-ray vision, but I'll betcha anything the main electrical panel is down here."

"Yeah? I'll take that bet."

He winked at her, then without warning reached out and grabbed a length of chain, then pulled hard. The doors ripped away from the concrete easily, as though he were working with paper and not steel.

"Barry!"

"What?" He turned to her, eyes black as charcoal. His tagteaming with the Beast would be the death of them all.

"Just because you CAN do something doesn't mean you should," Casey scolded. NOW Dennis was going to have a conniption fit.

"No worries doll, we'll fix this up nice in no time."

Frowning at the pieces of broken concrete scattered everywhere, Casey didn't feel very confident. "If you say so. Now what?"

Holding his hand out to her, Barry led them down the cellar steps. It took them a few minutes to locate due to low visibility, but sure enough the panel was hanging on the west side of the basement. Casey shuddered, she had never been down here as a child, and it was no wonder why. It looked like something straight out of The Evil Dead.

Barry went to open the box and switch the circuit breaker off, then suddenly jumped back so fast that he almost tripped over Casey. She moved to steady him, concerned. "What's wrong?"

"I uh…" he rubbed the back of his head and pointed to the wall in front of them. "I'm not such a big fan of spiders."

Curious, Casey could just barely make out the form of a fairly large Wolf Spider. It had to at least be the length of her pointer finger. She leaned in to get a better look through the gloom of the basement. "God, I'm not sure I've ever seen one that big."

"Don't get so close!" Barry hissed. He put his hands on his forehead, grimacing, and for a moment he looked like he was losing control. Just as suddenly, he stood up straight, and Dennis had the light.

He looked around at their surroundings, squinting in the dim light and fumbling for his glasses. "Casey? What's wrong with Barry? I literally can't stay away for more than a few minutes without having to come back and clean up one of his messes."

There was another convulsion and Dennis was gone, replaced by Hedwig. "Hey Casey, what's going on? Wooow, look at the size of that thing." He reached out to grab it, and then jerked his hand back as if he had touched a hot stove. The alters cycled once again, and Casey was beginning to get concerned.

The most recent alter tisked at Hedwig."No touching please. The Lycosidae's venom is not deadly to humans, but I do hear the bite is quite painful."

Casey sighed. It seemed she was now stuck in a dark basement with the one alter that still frightened her. "Hello Patricia. Wolf Spiders need to have a powerful bite as they don't actually build webs, they stalk their food like an actual wolf would." If the woman were a little less terrifying, Casey might actually think they had a bit of an inside joke going on with their animal factoids.

"Casey." Patricia dipped her head gracefully, a near predatory smile playing on her lips. "I see you remain sharp as always. You are a fascinating young woman."

If that was a compliment, Casey would take it. "How are you?"

Without flinching, Patricia opened the electrical panel up and flipped the breaker, paying no mind to the massive eight legged monstrosity nearby. "I must admit, I have seen better days, what with my Horde being in disarray. And my goodness, for such strong men, a spider really has thrown our boys into quite a tizzy."

"Thank God they have us to protect them," Casey joked, smiling weakly.

That animalistic smirk was back. "Indeed. Come now lamb, let's you and I have a chat."

Casey stood frozen in place. She really did not believe that Patricia had her best interests at heart, and she wasn't keen on going anywhere with her. Patricia reached out to gently rub a thumb over her cheek. "Do relax. If I intended to hurt you, I would have. And know I hold no such intention. In fact, it seems we have more in common than I previously thought. Please, hear me out."

It didn't feel like Casey had a choice. If she was going to be living with Kevin and all of his alters, it would be best to be at peace with all of them. She nodded. "Alright."

They walked up the cellar stairs leading into the house, and the door swung open easily, leading into a dining room. Patricia hummed to herself, looking around at their surroundings. The inside of the cabin was just as luxurious as the outside, if the massive mahogany table and chandelier hanging over them was any indication. "Hmmm…I think this will do nicely. Well done, Casey."

All sorts of childhood memories assailed Casey as she stepped through the doorway, so much so that she barely registered what Patricia had said. "This will do nicely for what?"

Patricia frowned, clearly annoyed that Casey wasn't keeping up with the conversation. "To serve as a shelter for god, of course."

A chill ran down Casey's spine. All they needed was for Patricia to start talking nonsense again. "God? You mean the Beast? He's not a god, Patricia, Dennis beat him."

She expected her challenge to incur Patricia's anger, but instead the older woman dabbed at her eyes, clearly distraught. "He adores you, and yet you still continue with your blasphemy."

"He adores me? Who?" For the briefest of moments, she nonsensically thought Patricia was referring to Dennis, but then the reality of what she was saying dawned on her. "You mean the Beast?"

Recognizing the hope in Casey's face, Patricia narrowed her eyes. She had secretly wondered if the young woman harbored some sort of feelings for Kevin, or at the very least one of the others, and her suspicions had just been confirmed. "Of course I mean the Beast, who else would I be referring to?"

Flushing in shame, Casey still refused to look away from the other woman. She wasn't going to tip toe around the Beast's priestess anymore. "It doesn't matter. Is this all you wanted to talk about? Because I didn't buy what you were selling months ago, and I sure as hell don't now."

"Oh no, I think you'll want to hear what I have to say, dove. Come with me, let's explore the kitchen and see if we can't find some tea."

Finding her curiosity was outweighing her annoyance, Casey obediently followed Patricia through the dining and living rooms into the kitchen. While not as large as the other areas, it was still quite impressive. A marble table was the centerpiece of the room, surrounded by cherry wood cabinets and chairs. The ceiling was vaulted and a smaller version of the chandelier out in the dining room hung over them. The stairs to the second floor were located on the far end. Already making herself at home, Patricia began searching through the cabins and tins, on the prowl for her beverage of choice.

Deciding she'd rather make herself busy then just stand there and feel awkward, Casey joined her, finding the kettle and going to fill it with water from the sink. She turned the faucet, then cursed. "Shit! We forgot to turn on the water."

"Language, my dear. That's no way for a young woman to speak."

Casey rolled her eyes, about to remind Patricia that she was the last woman on earth to grouse about manners, but she held her tongue. She was trying to build bridges, not burn them. "Yeah, sorry."

"Never you mind. Why don't you head back down to the cellar and get that water situation fixed, and I'll see if I can sort the alarm system out. It won't do to be without power long in this weather."

Shrugging her shoulders, Casey turned to leave the kitchen and retraced her steps back to the basement door. While down in the dark, stumbling around to look for the water valve, a loud bang rang out upstairs and Casey jumped so high she nearly hit the wooden beams of the ceiling. Now in a hurry, she followed the water pipes to the main water valve and turned the handle, then sprinted back upstairs.

Patrica was waiting for her, and at her feet lay various pieces of the alarm system. Holy shit, Patricia too? "Why do every single one of you just resort to punching things if there's a problem? It's like living with the Hulk!" Casey yelled, exasperated. How were they going to fix this? Installing a new cellar door was one thing, but not an entire home security system.

Patricia just winked at her, obviously pleased with herself. "Now we have water AND electricity. Isn't it wonderful? Be a dear and turn it back on, won't you?"

At this point, Casey was pretty sure Patricia was trying to see how many errands she could get her to run, but dutifully did as she was asked.

When she returned to the kitchen, she found the other woman looking rather grim. As she reached for some tea cups, Patricia finally confessed what was really on her mind. "Listen here dove. I don't have much more time in the light, the others are growing impatient with me. Will you hear me out?"

Casey raised her eyebrows, obviously waiting for her to continue.

Patricia began pouring them some English Breakfast Tea. "You have entered into a pact of survival with us. Any and all measures must be taken to ensure our continued existence. Dennis will not listen to me. Barry will not listen to me. You care for Kevin and have outside perspective, so I hope you will listen to me."

This got Casey's attention. "Alright, I'm listening."

Tears glistened in Patricia's eyes. "The Beast is waning. The others' refusal to feed him is beginning to take its toll, I can feel it. It is not much, because he is impossibly strong, but it's there. If he's not fed properly he will die. And I have no doubt we would perish soon after."

It felt like Casey had just been hit by a truck, all the air being knocked from her. Could it possibly be true? Was Kevin's survival actually tied to the Beast's? "How is that possible? How can a fragment of Kevin's mind actually die?"

Scoffing, Patricia turned, angrily wiping tears away from her eyes. "Haven't you grasped it by now? The Beast is not a mere alter. He is the next step of human evolution; he doesn't reside within the confines of our own existence, or even reality. He's extraordinary."

The aching fear in Casey was threatening to overwhelm her. "Kevin...but..." It wasn't fair, she couldn't lose them again. "Kevin can't die, I won't let him," she whispered, more to herself than Patricia.

"I knew you would understand. Please, you must talk sense into the others. I know Dennis believes he is on some holy crusade for redemption, but what good is salvation if we are dead?"

Casey was no fool. There was every chance Patricia was lying to her, but the possibility that she could be right was enough to make Casey ill. "I'll talk to him. I don't know what you expect us to do, but I'll talk to him."

A sigh of relief escaped Patricia, and she gently clasped Caseys's hands. She certainly seemed sincere enough. "Thank you. I knew we could count on you. I will fetch him now."

Nodding, Casey held her breath and waited for Dennis to take hold of the light. She had seen it many times by now, but the process always fascinated her. Patricia's elongated neck and gently sloping shoulders straightened and squared themselves until Kevin's body became a living, breathing rock. Reaching for his glasses in the front pocket of his shirt, Dennis had emerged. He briefly glanced around at his new surroundings before fixing Casey with his stare. "You were discussing something with Patricia? She said you had something you needed to tell me." He crossed his arms, waiting.

Suddenly feeling foolish, Casey stammered. She knew that no matter how convincing Patricia seemed to her, Dennis would never give her concerns the time of day. She might as well just come out with it. "Patricia claims that the Beast will die if he doesn't get, you know, sacred food, or whatever the hell you were calling it."

The silence that hung between them seemed deafening, and then Dennis shocked the hell out of Casey by chuckling. Had she ever seen him laugh before? Her mouth dropped open. "What's so funny?"

"Assuming she's telling the truth…assuming," he emphasized, "how would that be a bad thing?" He briefly remembered having this conversation with the Beast before, back at Raven Hill, but he had assumed the threat of death was a lie. Why wouldn't they lie to try to regain control?

"She said that if the Beast died, you all would die with him."

Any hint of mirth on Dennis's face disappeared. "Maybe we should die."

Those words hurt Casey more than she possibly could have imagined. She searched his face for some sign that he was making a tasteless joke, but saw nothing but naked, painful honesty. "Please don't say that."

He scoffed, but when he saw she really was upset, he sobered. "It doesn't matter anyway, Patricia is lying. Alters can't die the same way you or Kevin can, we're not…" he searched for the right words. "We're not material. Not physical. We're just-" he pointed to his temple. "We're just in here. We don't exist like you do. We only die if Kevin does."

His words rang true, and they should have been comforting, but the fear in Patricia's eyes had been haunting. "But what if you're wrong?"

"I'm not."

"But you didn't see-"

Shaking his head, Dennis sighed. "Don't let Patricia get into your head, nothing good can come of it. I should have never listened to her myself." He sidestepped past her, walking into the open space of the living area. He would have to have words with Patrica about trying to make Casey do her dirty work.

Taking in the layout of the cabin, he found himself both impressed and irritated. It truly was a gorgeous home, but Dennis didn't really get to appreciate gorgeous when he had cleanliness first and foremost to be concerned with. He took note of all the various ways Hedwig could get himself into trouble, and started compiling a mental list of things he would have to do to "Hedwig-proof" the place. Not to mention the food, supplies, and most importantly, money that they would need. And providing all of that meant going back to Philly. One more time.

"What do you think?" Casey asked, taking her place next to him. She had to put a pin in the Beast talk for now, it was clear he wasn't interested in discussing it further.

Looking down at her, Dennis was suddenly filled with the intense desire to provide for her at any cost. She had been through so much, and she still retained a palpable love of life that radiated from her every cell. She was a bit like Hedwig and Barry that way. He had to protect that at any cost. He had to bite the bullet, tell her he was leaving again. "I know things have been very hectic, but there's one more trip I have to make. I'm going back to Philadelphia, grab some things that were left behind in our rush to get away."

He watched her shoulders slump, clearly tired. "Can I at least get a nap before we go? I feel like we've been moving non-stop."

Here we go he thought. "You can sleep whenever you'd like, you're staying here."

To say she was incredulous was an understatement. "Wait, you're going without me?"

Now hold on just a damn second!

Dennis sighed. He didn't think he could deal with being tag teamed by Casey AND Barry. He stepped aside to allow the other man to come into the light alongside him."You got something to say to me, oh extroverted leader?"

Surfacing, Barry rolled his eyes."Stop calling me that! Dr. Fletcher called me that once. Once! Time to get over it. And yes, I do have something to say. Why the hell did we spend all that time coming over here just to head back again?"

"I'm kind of making this up as we go, Barry. I don't exactly have a guidebook for this sort of thing."

"Fine! But how about we actually sit down and plan this out instead of rushing around doing whatever seems like a good idea at the time. All this spontaneous decision making is really unlike ya Dennis. I'm gettin' worried."

"Worried? The time for worrying is long gone. I don't know if you remember, but you wanted Casey to stick around, so fine. Fine! However I've had certain provisions set in place in case of an emergency, and it's time to utilize them. And we can move much faster if we go solo, without Casey. It's safer for her here."

"But, but…" Barry trailed off, grasping for words. How was Dennis alright with the idea of leaving her in the middle of nowhere, all by herself?

Dennis got what he was about without him even having to say a word. "I told you that if you made me bring Casey along, it would get dangerous. Did you think I was being difficult for shits and giggles?"

"Um, well yea-"

Casey cut off what was sure to be another argument between the two men. "Don't worry about me Barry. I'm not sure if you've noticed, but I'm a bit of a survivor. I do well under pressure, you could say."

Dennis understood she was being sardonic, but he still flinched. It was damn true though, she was the bravest person he had ever met, even when he himself had been the one to put her in harm's way. He gazed at her in that unflinching way of his, hoping he was doing the right thing. "You know that I initially was resistant to you joining us because that required a commitment to keeping you safe. But I agreed, so here we are."

Casey blushed. She knew he felt like she was an imposition, but he didn't have to keep reminding her.

Understanding her discomfort, Dennis gentled slightly. "I'm not saying that to make you feel guilty. I'm telling you so that you understand the parameters of this…relationship."

The word "relationship" hitched in his throat, but she didn't point it out. "And those would be?"

"You're under my protection now, and you know when I commit to something I don't half-ass it. If I ask you to do something, it's to keep you safe, alright? And if you need something, you just ask me." He fidgeted, starting to feel a bit vulnerable. He rubbed the back of his neck. "I'm not so used to worrying about other people, not outside of Kevin at least. But I'm trying Casey. To take care of you. I wouldn't be going if it weren't necessary."

Barry found himself nodding along to Dennis's words, he could certainly get on board with all of that. He reached out to grab Casey's hand, and her touch spread warmth across their chest. Dennis couldn't tell where his feelings ended and Barry's began. This tiny thing had them wrapped up in knots, and she had no idea.

"You sure about this, doll?" Bringing her fingers to his lips, Barry planted a soft kiss on her palm and Dennis tried not to wince. Barry had always been a touchy man, but this was getting dangerously close to something else entirely. And if Barry couldn't control himself, Dennis had no hope of keeping his own feelings in check.

Wrapping her arms around their waist, Casey sighed. "I'm sure. Just come back to me soon."

They would come back to her. Of that, the two men were in agreement.


	8. Dark Night of the Soul

It was seven o'clock in the morning by the time Dennis arrived back at the cabin.

Before he could even reach the front porch, Casey had thrown the door wide open so that he could see for himself that she had made it through the night safely. She ran out to greet him, relieved to see him in one piece. "Are you hurt? Did you get what you needed? What happened?" She bombarded him with questions that he could barely keep track of in his exhausted state.

The smell of warm cinnamon oatmeal wafted out the doorway past her, and his eyes lit up appreciatively. "Casey," he groaned, reaching out to steady himself against her. "I'm fine, I'm ok. I just need to…I need sleep. Hungry. Then we'll talk."

Happy to be able to do something, anything, Casey waved him inside to the kitchen and pulled out a chair, which he practically collapsed into. Running to the kitchen counter she grabbed the oatmeal and began spooning a liberal amount into a bowl. "There's not a ton of food here, but they did leave a bunch of non-perishables," she explained. "I wasn't sure if you'd eaten or not, but better safe than sorry. "

"Thank you, that was thoughtful." Despite his stomach screaming at him, Dennis began to eat carefully, making sure not to spill even a drop on the pristine marble table.

"Would you like me to make some coffee or tea?"

He shook his head. "No thank you. All we need is to rest; it's been a long night."

Ignoring him, Casey pulled out a pitcher of ice water from the fridge and poured him a glass. "You gotta drink something."

He downed the glass within seconds, and Casey poured him another one. "Are you sure you're not thirsty?" she smirked, but he was too tired to respond with anything other than a grunt. It was obvious he was just barely keeping himself conscious, but Casey was deathly curious as to what had transpired the night before. She had to ask again. "What did you get in Philly?"

He didn't want to tell her. He was trying so hard to be good, and he had been. He had been pushed, but he hadn't killed.

Still, there was blood. A lot of it. And it was so unusual for him to have a listening ear, which actually wanted to hear from him. Despite the exhaustion, he found himself recounting the previous night's events.

* * *

His body ached. His use of the Beast as a literal beast of burden was taking a toll on their body, and secretly he wondered if Patricia was telling the truth. If they would perish if he depleted all of the Beast's strength without offering him the flesh of the unbroken as sustenance. The issue would have to wait though. It was best to tackle one problem at a time, and he came back to his old home to take care of a very big problem-namely being a fugitive with no money and no documentation. Fortunately for him, he had answers.

It paid to have connections in a city as big as Philadelphia.

As he lithely prowled the streets, he could move a bit more freely. The only ones out at this time of night were other broken, those who held no love for the bureaucracy that had oppressed them, let them down all of their lives. A few vagrants even recognized him as the vessel for the Beast, and bowed their heads reverently. Dennis paid them no mind; no one deserved veneration less than he or the creature that possessed him.

"They would give us offerings and homage if we but asked it," the Beast rumbled, and Dennis could feel his desperate hunger for flesh that boarded on ravenous.

"Shut up," he growled, and the Beast fell silent.

He found the man he was searching for easily enough, but then Shondell always made sure to make himself available for those that knew where to look. The room he operated out of was nondescript, but the things that took place inside of it shaped the city with or without its residents' awareness.

Padding out of the darkness, Dennis made sure to make his approach known. Shondell never seemed to have an itchy trigger finger, but it wouldn't do to start negotiations on bad terms. The waif of a black man that stood in front of him wasn't the least bit physically intimidating, but Dennis knew he could bring the entire city down on its knees if he so chose. He wasn't someone you wanted to have as an enemy, that was for sure.

They had met years ago. Dennis needed his own bank account and thus needed a name for himself, a number, a license, all those things required for the government to acknowledge you as a person, as valid. Shondell could provide those things, and his price was simple-access to the maintenance tunnels underneath the zoo. Dennis never asked what he used them for, and an explanation was never offered. A key was a small price to pay for financial security under Dennis's own terms.

* * *

"So what did he want from you this time?" Casey interrupted. She was increasingly becoming nervous that Dennis had done something…unsavory again.

Shame filled him as he realized what Casey was really asking: did he renege on his vows to not kill already? "It's not what you think, Casey." He studied his now empty water glass, observing the patterns on its surface. "He wanted me to pay someone a visit for him."

* * *

"He owes me," Shondell had explained.

"I'm not killing anyone for you." Dennis insisted. And he wouldn't, he'd figure something else out if he had to.

"No no, not kill. Just want you to send him a message. Bitch ass owes me, and he's draggin' his Nikes."

"Why me?"

For whatever reason, Shondell found the question hilarious and cackled, spilling the Yuengling he had been holding all over the front of Dennis's shirt. Dennis froze, trying with everything in him not to attempt to clean up the mess.

"You serious? You really think this guy is going to pussy out on me if he thinks the Beast is in my pocket? Think about it, it's perfect! 'The Beast' is reported making havoc out on the southside, the cops will be swarming the area looking for you. I'll have my boys make sure there's talk about Beast sightings all over the city, get you some relief from the piggies. By the time you're back I'll have all your papers, and I'll get what's owed me. "

"No one dies tonight," Dennis repeated.

* * *

Casey stared at Dennis dubiously. "Were you…tempted at all? To give in?"

Watching the dust motes float through the beam of sunlight pouring through the kitchen window, Dennis debated just how much he should tell her. But the answer was clear to him before he even finished asking the question: he would tell her everything.

* * *

He found the man right where Shondell said he would be-The Trestle Inn . It was closed for the night as liquor was unable to be served past two AM, but the backroom was still buzzing with activity.

Getting in was no problem to someone impervious to bullets. With one thunderous kick, Dennis broke the door in half and suddenly the room came alive with screams and warning yells. Dust and splintered wood rained down on them as Dennis stalked over to his prey, a weasel of a man in glasses and skinny jeans. The room was full of performers and clients, and the only two bodyguards on duty were slow to draw their weapons.

"Try it," Dennis taunted, his voice low with warning.

They shot quickly and inaccurately, but bullets still found their mark, and Dennis grunted as two tore through the meat in his shoulder and serratus anterior. It hurt like hell, but in the morning the injury would just be another memory. Seeing the bullets pierce him harmlessly made something click for one of the shooters, and he dropped his gun in surrender. "That's the fucking Beast that's been killin' all those girls. Fuck, we're fucked!"

The man whom owed Shondell money-Francis- dropped to his knees. "Please, what the fuck do you want from me!?" Dennis tried to remain intimidating, keep his mind on the mission, but one of the girls cowering in the back looked so much like Casey that he got distracted and his heart briefly stopped. Francis noticed the direction of his gaze and immediately tried to bargain for his life. "You like 'em young, right? You want the bitch? She's all yours."

One of the bodyguards pushed the young woman forward and she fell to her knees, too terrified to scream, even whimper. The room had fallen silent, end everything inside Dennis simultaneously froze and turned red with rage. He was exposed, and everyone knew his secret shame. He hated himself. He was so tired of hating himself. In the midst of his fury his grasp on the Beast was slipping, and he could feel the alter exerting more and more control over their body. Now that he was blind, the Beast's sense of smell was near supernatural. Scents and smells that were not usually detectable to Dennis's very human nose suddenly became apparent ; he could hear everyone's heart pounding erratically, almost tasted the fear in the air. The scent of marrow in Francis's bones called out to him.

Dennis leaned down, forcing the other man onto his knees, broken and humiliated, the same way he humiliated that young woman. Francis screamed in agony as his shoulder dislocated and his collarbone snapped, and Dennis could feel something sharp poking his palm underneath the skin. " **Do it. Twist his arm off and let me drink his fluids**," the Beast coaxed . "**Break his bones, suck out the marrow!**" More animal then human now, Dennis leaned down and licked Francis's face slowly, tasting him. The other man started crying, tears leaking down his cheeks, tangy salt mixing with sweat. It was almost too much and the Beast nearly took complete control.

Soft weeping interrupted his blood lust, and Dennis ripped his gaze from his target back over to the young woman on the ground. His eyes roamed over her barely concealed thighs, her stomach, and he was losing himself. The Beast's hunger for flesh, HIS hunger for a different type of flesh, it was burning him up.

Then his eyes met hers and he saw Casey's visage once again. It wasn't much, but it was enough for him to remember who he was. He breathed once, breathed twice, and then his grip on the Beast solidified once more. He had retained his humanity. He had passed his dark night of the soul. He threw Francis down on the ground, disgusted with his own near loss of control. Only the man's collarbone had been broken, but Dennis assumed that was enough to show he meant business. He didn't feel like hurting anyone anymore. "You owe Shondell money. I suggest you pay up," he snarled.

Francis nodded weakly, in too much pain to say anything. It was clear he got the message.

Satisfied, Dennis walked over to the girl, who was still trying to make herself disappear through the floorboards. He stepped softly, as though the quiet would be enough to soothe her fear. He crouched down next to her, gently raising her chin with a finger so she was looking at him. She gasped in surprise. The black holes that were once his eyes had now given way to an ocean blue.

"What's your name?" Dennis asked her.

"A…Ayana," she stammered out.

He helped her to her feet, and then turned to look at Frank again. "You hurt Ayana, and I'll know. I'll come back. I'm a man of my word."

* * *

"Fortunately for us Shondell is also a man of his word. He gave me a new social security card, a new license; I can finally access my bank account again!" Shaking his head as though in disbelief, Dennis looked up at Casey with a confidence he hadn't felt since before Raven Hill. "We're actually going to be ok, I think."

Almost reverently she reached out to touch his hand. "I never doubted we would be, Dennis. Also, I want you to know…I'm proud of you. I bet the others are too."

He would have smiled, but smiling always took a bit more energy for Dennis than it did most people. His shoulders sagged. "We can talk later. I need to sleep."

Motioning for him to follow her, Casey led him up the kitchen stairs to the second floor and down the hallway. "These first two rooms are bedrooms, and there's a bathroom down at the end on the right, if I'm remembering correctly," she pointed out.

Nodding gratefully, Dennis entered the first bedroom to the right and collapsed onto the unmade kingsize bed. Realizing that there were no sheets, Casey ran to the armoire at the back of the hall and was pleased to find some blankets inside. Hoping they were clean enough for Dennis, she grabbed a few and brought them back to his room. He was already passed out, so she gently laid the duvet over his legs and backed out of the room quietly.

She spent the day cleaning up the messes Barry and Patricia had made, dusting, and searching the cabin up and down for items that might be of use to them. She ran out of things to do by mid-afternoon, having done most of it the night before while Dennis was away. She did score some Campbell's Chicken Soup in the kitchen and made the entire can, hoping she would at least have some company for dinner, but there wasn't a peep from upstairs. To be fair, that sort of traveling would make anyone exhausted, superhuman or not.

By the time bedtime rolled around, the house was near spotless. Spotless for most people at least, she was sure Dennis would go on another cleaning round himself. Or ten. Whatever floated his boat.

Thinking it at least prudent to check on him before she turned in for the night (he was being so very quiet, after all), Casey headed upstairs and got ready for bed the best she could. She was without pajamas or a toothbrush, but thankfully had found some toothpaste and soap in the upstairs bathroom the night before and made due with that. After washing her face and brushing her teeth, she made her way over to Dennis's bedroom.

Gently opening the door so as not to wake him, she noticed the comforter had slide off of the bed. She padded softly over to where it was and retrieved it off of the ground. As she went to lay it back down over her friend, the man stirred and turned around, looking up at her with clear blue eyes.

Kevin.

She knew it was Kevin, because she couldn't help but think that it was like looking into a Basset Hound's eyes, so big and earnest and a little sad.

"Hey you." His voice was soft, almost ethereal, and as non-existent as he had felt his entire life.

"Hey Kev." She was almost afraid to breathe, like any sudden movements would startle him and he'd flee the light. "I'm happy to see you."

He looked at her like maybe he thought she was making fun of him, but then she lay down beside him and placed a hand on his chest. He covered hers with his own. Glancing around and taking note of the relative luxury of the bedroom, he cocked an eyebrow. "Where are we now?"

"A cabin, out in the Poconos. Belongs to an old family friend."

"Pretty ornate in here. Barry must be thrilled." He leaned over her to get a better look at the stuffed animal heads that mounted the wall across from them. "How much time has passed since I've last been in the light?"

Casey had to think a minute. "It's only been about two days."

Eyes widening, Kevin sat up in shock. "Seriously? That makes it, what, four times in the past month? It's been years since I've done that last." Awe lit up his face, and a smile played on his lips. "It must be because you're here."

The idea that she could have a positive impact was pleasant, but it was a foreign one. Uncle John always told her she was good for nothing but trouble, nothing but heartache. "It's a lot easier to face life when you're not doing it by yourself."

His goofy lopsided smile was back. "I'm never by myself, you know that."

"You're right. But now you have me too. You've got a whole team of kick-ass going for you."

He exhaled sharply through his nose in a bit of amusement. Pulling the cover over them both, Kevin lay back down and placed a gentle hand on her cheek. "So about that... Are you ever going to tell me how we met? I know…something horrible happened back at the zoo, but…"he trailed off. In his head he knew he wanted the truth, but he wasn't sure if his heart could handle it.

His internal struggle was playing out on his face and Casey knew then and there, looking into those mournful hound dog eyes, that she could never tell him what really happened the day the Beast first emerged. "Maybe someday. It's not much of a bedtime story, you know?"

It was obvious she was reluctant to reveal details, and the thought made Kevin impossibly sad. Whatever she was trying to protect him from would most likely break him if he knew, he understood that. It just filled him with an unfathomable grief that he could have been a part of something so terrible. "Someday then," he repeated, squeezing her hand.

Casey stayed by his side until he fell asleep, his breathing becoming rhythmic and nearly lulling her to sleep herself. She didn't want to though, not here where there was a myriad of alters she could end up waking next to. For a time she just lay there and listened to Kevin's gentle breaths correspond to the rising and falling of his chest.

Before sleep could actually overtake her, she quietly got up and tip toed out to the bedroom next door. She still had a bunch of questions for Dennis, but it didn't seem like she would be getting any more answers tonight. The sooner she went to bed and morning came, the sooner she would get to see him again.


	9. The Guardian

_Mr. Dennis, Casey is yelling a lot and won't stop!_

Hedwig's panicked pleading cut through the thick fog of sleep Dennis had been enjoying. He came rushing into the light and heard her cries for himself, automatically grabbing his glasses off of the nightstand and vaulting from his bedroom to Casey's next door.

With all the grace of a rampaging bull he barreled through the door, expecting to find some sort of wild animal or stranger attacking her. Quickly taking stock of the situation, he saw that the only other creature present besides himself and Casey was the mounted deer head hanging over the fireplace. He halted, understanding dawning on him. Whatever was tormenting Casey was in her mind, and he felt ill equipped to help her, comfort was always Barry's thing. He had no time to wait for any of the others to come out though, listening to her cries was torturous.

Stepping closer, he saw that tears stained her face and the sheets were soaked with sweat-telltale signs of unrest that he knew all too well. He didn't want to startle her, shaking her awake when she most likely was dreaming of her uncle would be the worst thing he could possibly do. He crouched down by the bed so he wasn't looming above her and whispered her name over and over, trying to break through into her nightmares. "Casey, you're alright. Nothing can hurt you, I'm here." Hesitantly he lay a hand on hers and gently rubbed circles with his thumb, trying to bring her awareness to anywhere other than inside of her head.

With a start, she lurched off of the mattress, and Dennis had to catch her before she dove headfirst into the corner of the nightstand. She let out a yelp, feeling his arms around her while she was still trapped inside her mind with her uncle. Dennis quickly lay her down on the ground, trying to prevent her from hurting either of them.

Murmuring reassurances, he began stroking her hand again, hoping he wasn't agitating her further. Eventually she began to become conscious of his voice, the dream slowly fading into the background of her memory. Shame kept her from opening her eyes and she just lay on the ground and wept.

"Casey?" Dennis gasped, unaware that he had even been holding his breath. "Are you awake?"

"I'm sorry, Dennis." Her voice was so low he almost didn't hear her, and he couldn't believe that she was apologizing to him.

"Can I bring you back to bed?" he reached out to touch her back and she didn't flinch, just cried harder. He got no reply, so he gently scooped her up off of the ground._ Barry, I need you_, he called out, and the younger alter was there in an instant. Eyes widening at the trembling young woman in their arms, he pulled her tightly to their chest and looked to Dennis for some sort of explanation. _She has nightmares_, was all he offered, and Barry nodded in understanding. Dennis stepped back and let Barry do what he was best at. Danger had been neutralized, so his job was done.

Still, he remained near the light, watching Barry carry Casey over to their bedroom, murmuring something into her ear. "I'm sorry," he heard her repeating, and the realization that the apologies were her automatic response to abuse made Dennis's blood boil. Barry felt his anger and shot him a questioning look, but Dennis shook his head. _It's not important now. Just see if you can help her._

Gently placing her down on his bed, Barry knelt down beside it, taking Casey's hands and rubbing them with his own. "It was just a bad dream hon, you're safe now. Is there anything I can do for you?"

"I'm sorry Barry," she whimpered for the millionth time, embarrassment and tears causing her face to flush.

"Shhh, there's absolutely nothing to be sorry for. We've had nightmares for years, I understand."

"It was my uncle," she offered weakly, and he nodded, unsurprised.

"I still dream about Kevin's mother from time to time, and she's been dead for six years. It's going to happen; it's just a part of healing." He gently brushed back an errant piece of hair that was stuck to her forehead. "At least, that's what Dr. Fletcher used to tell us."

Casey shook, trying to bury herself under the sheets. "Nothing about this feels healing to me."

"I know," he soothed. "How can I help?"

"Please…stay? Don't leave me alone."

"Of course." Barry walked to the other side of the bed and stretched out next to her, making sure to remain on top of the covers. "Are ya alright with me touching you?" Casey turned over and threw her arms around his neck, allowing him to hold her.

For the next half hour he quietly told her stories about his time working at the Philadelphia Zoo. He weaved together images of white tigers, wolves, and pandas, replacing all the shadows in her mind with soft fur and playful wolf pups. At some point he felt her breathing slow to a steady rhythm, and he whispered a "thank you" to whatever deity that was still bothering to listen to him.

Relaxing, he allowed himself to fall asleep alongside his dearest friend. There were no more disturbances that night, and tigers and wolves stood guard over their dreams.

* * *

The next morning Casey was reluctant to speak about the previous night, and Barry had no desire to push her. Dennis was a different story, however.

As he sat down to make a list of things that would be needed to spend the winter there, he asked Casey to join him. She did so reluctantly, sitting next to him at the large marbled table in the kitchen. Between the two, they came up with quite a list of supplies needed to see them through the next couple of months.

"And you said this place belongs to a friend of your uncle?" Dennis inquired, placing the cap back on his pen. He was sure there would be more to add later on, but that could wait. He needed to know just what exactly he had gotten himself into.

"He was a friend of my father's, but yes, my uncle knew him," Casey replied, picking at a fingernail.

Dennis sighed and leaned back in his chair, crossing his arms. "Did something happen to you here Casey?"

She blanched and stared up at him, eyes wide in shock. "Why would you ask that?"

"Well, we've spent a few nights with you already and you seemed to sleep fine until we got here. I assume something about this place is triggering you." Leaning forward, he looked at her with what he hoped came off as empathy. "If there's something about this cabin that makes you uncomfortable, I need to know so we can find another residence before the weather gets much colder. We can't be worrying about you having panic attacks while we are snowed in in the middle of nowhere."

Embarrassment made tears prick at Casey's eyes, and she crossed her arms, hugging herself and looking anywhere but at Dennis. "I've only ever been here as a kid with my father, not my uncle, so no, nothing happened here." She waited for him to say something, anything, but he remained silent. "I'm sorry about last night, it won't happen again," she added, hoping that would placate him and he wouldn't make her leave.

Dennis pursed his lips. "That's really not something that's under your control. I'm not trying to make you feel bad; I just need to understand what exactly is threatening to you about this place."

"Why?"

"Why what?"

"Why do you need to know?"

He cocked his head, not understanding her confusion. "That's my job. As the first born, I am our Guardian. Since you are living with us now, your safety is my responsibility as well."

"First born…alter?"

He gave a slight nod, and suddenly Casey felt like weeping, like all of the pain in the world was converging on them out of nowhere. The impression was almost one of reverence, like she was looking at something, someone, that wasn't meant to exist in the world.

If Dennis noticed, he didn't comment. "Yes. When Kevin was three, he tripped and skinned his knee. He ran to his mother for comfort, and instead she just held him down and poured bleach onto the open wound. I came into existence that night."

Casey's eyes closed and her nostrils flared in sympathy, but she said nothing, so Dennis continued.

"The cut got infected. Bleach is not meant to be used on the human body, and certainly not on damaged tissue. Some of my earliest memories are of shivering in 95 degree weather, in agony. I thought we were dying, and it didn't stop until Kevin's father came home and rushed us to the hospital. But I knew, even back then, that the pain was mine to carry, and I had to be strong enough. Every burn and whipping, every violation, I came to the light and told Kevin to sleep, because it belonged to me."

Without thinking, Casey reached out to grip his arm, horrified at the thought of what was done to the little boy. She knew it was bad, but she wasn't prepared for the brutality of it. "Dennis, I-" she began, but he cut her off.

"Please, let me finish. I don't think I'll be able to start again if I stop."

She nodded her consent, tentatively grabbing for his hand. He didn't stop her.

"When Kevin hit puberty, his mother found…new ways to torture him. She was a contagion, and I was the wall that kept her away. I tried for so long and hard to keep her sickness at bay, but she got through. She infected me." Absentmindedly he scratched at his neck, eyes unfocused, like he was reliving it all and had forgotten where he was. "In the beginning I started cleaning out of compulsion, to keep us safe from her punishments. Now I clean because I see her filth wherever I go. I… feel it all over." He was speaking to the air, as though he were trying to evoke Penelope Crumb's image in front of him. Then just as quickly he snapped out of the trance, slightly embarrassed at his loss of control.

He looked over at Casey to see tears streaming down her cheeks in sympathy. God, he really sucked at this "encouragement" thing. He tried again, giving her a sad smile, hoping to rally her. "Whatever you tell me, I'll understand. You don't have to get into specifics; I just need to know if it will be a problem for you to stay here."

Releasing his hands, Casey swiped at her eyes, furious with the Crumb matriarch. "My uncle touched me too," she began, anger fueling her ability to shine light on her inner demons. "All those scars the Beast saw, those were all from him." She looked at Dennis's face, trying to if see her confession made him feel any differently for her, but aside from furrowing his eyebrows and a twitch of his jaw, he held the same impassive expression he normally did.

"Did he hurt you here?" He didn't want to open her wounds up any further, but he still needed to know.

"No. No, this place is actually full of very happy memories for me. It's just…the photos of my father. I think that's what set me off last night."

Surprised, Dennis briefly glanced around the kitchen, just now realizing there were photographs hanging all over the place. "One of those men is your father?"

"Yes." Casey got up and walked to a picture that was hanging next to the kitchen doorway, pointing out a man and a little girl laughing in the midst of a group of people. "That's me and my dad." She smiled, but her voice was laced with pain.

Dennis followed her over and picked the frame up off of the wall, studying it carefully. Mr. Cooke looked to be a kind enough man, if a bit mousy. He held a young Casey on his shoulders, and they both beamed at the camera, eyes bright and full of life. A life before Casey's uncle turned her into one of the broken.

Sadness gripped Dennis, and he suddenly found himself wishing he had something to remember Kevin's father by. For the longest time he was angry and felt abandoned by Mr. Crumb, but as he reached adulthood he came to the realization that is just wasn't fair to hold his death against him, no matter how much suffering it had led to. He never intended to leave them alone with a monster. "Do you want me to remove these?" he asked, indicating the photograph.

"Would it make me a horrible daughter if I said 'yes'?" Casey replied, her eyes filling with fresh tears.

"No. I think he would understand." Dennis's voice was gruff, like he was trying to cover up any emotion seeping into his words. For a moment he seemed smaller than usual, and he rubbed a nervous hand over his head.

Then whatever he was feeling passed, and he stood ramrod straight once again, holding both hands behind his back. "I went into town earlier this morning and withdrew some money from my personal account. It should be enough to get the majority of the items on our list. If you go take care of the shopping, I'll have all the pictures taken down by the time you get back." He reached into his back pocket and pulled out an envelope, passing it to Casey. "I made sure to get enough to pay you back for the clothing and motel room as well. Please don't forget to take it."

Casey's eyes widened. "Oh yeah, your bank account! Because of that guy you saw in Philly, right?"

Grunting, Dennis grabbed a dish towel and began wiping down the table they had been sitting at. "That's right. I've had my own account open for years. I wouldn't call it legal exactly, but then again to most of the world I don't even exist."

Opening the envelope, Casey couldn't help but gasp in surprise as she pulled out nearly one thousand dollars, stacked neatly into bundles of hundreds. Dennis frowned at her. "What? I never had to pay rent while at the Zoo, and we only had one mouth to feed. Where else would all of our money be going? I mean, money that Ansel and Jade didn't get their grubby hands on. The animals back at home probably have better money sense then they do."

The barb made Casey giggle, and Dennis allowed himself a small smile, throwing the rag down into the sink. Dishes and laundry were the first things on his list for the afternoon.

He winced suddenly, as if someone had yelled in his ear. "No Hedwig, you may not come out and go with. The last thing we want is to draw attention to ourselves." He paused as if listening, and then sighed. "I promise if you behave we can have pizza for dinner, alright? And if Casey says it's ok, you can play later tonight." Another pause. "Don't you start now too, Jade."

A giggle-snort escaped Casey. Dennis playing the part of belabored babysitter was always too funny. "How often do they gang up on you?"

He shook his head. "You have no idea. All the damn time! In fact, I'm not sure I'm going to survive a winter here stuck with all of you," he chided, pinching the bridge of his nose, but there was laughter in his voice. They might be the death of him, but he figured there were worse ways to go. "Hurry up and get going. If you're lucky there won't be another lock on the door when you return."

Balking, Casey stared at him, confusion and hurt playing on her face until he winked at her. Butterflies exploded in her stomach and she had to quickly turn away before he witnessed her turning the deepest shade of red possible.

Yes, it was certainly was shaping up to be an interesting winter.


End file.
